


Weapon: The Quantum Realm

by Cumbercookie



Series: Weapon: A Series [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-06-24 07:44:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 42
Words: 149,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15626043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cumbercookie/pseuds/Cumbercookie
Summary: A part 2 to my Original work: Weapon. Following Alina, Loki and the Avengers as they discover and grapple with the Quantum Realm.Alina has postponed Loki and hers wedding once again and this time it may be slightly more permanent. With Alina stuck in the Quantum Realm, it is a race against time and reality for Loki and the Avengers to find her. Little do they know, she is thrown into other realities, trapped as she traverses them attempting to find her way back to her team and her fiance.





	1. The Quantum Realm

“Ali, you can’t keep pushing the wedding back for this sort of stuff” Loki said, exasperated from across the lab

She looked up from her work, her hair dangling over her cheeks. Both hands firmly pressed to the table she leaned forward as she spoke. 

“Loki this is important! The wedding can wait!”

It had been 6 months since he had proposed to her and he wanted nothing more than to fast track the wedding and be married to her. This seemed to be going to plan until the Avengers facility got an intruder who went by the name of Ant Man. After the Avengers had hashed out some details with him, they had been introduced to one Hank Pym who they quickly learned had successfully engaged in the Quantum Realm, rescuing his own wife. Obviously, for the likes of Tony, Bruce, Alina, Erik and so on, this piqued interest. They were introduced to a woman named Ghost who had been directly affected and slowly, more threats and issues began to raise themselves with this Quantum Realm. Unfortunately, neither Loki nor Thor were privy to such a thing and as such the Avengers had cornerstonesd all their research onto it. 

This meant Alina had postponed the wedding until they had figured out and safely neutralised the Quantum Realm. 

“A lover’s quarrel hmmmmm” Scott pitched in, over Alina’s shoulder

“He is not the God of patience after all” Alina sighed 

“Well, I do not particularly see my eagerness to marry you as a bad thing” he smiled gently 

She glanced at him again with a small smile. As she did so, the elevator doors opened and the Avengers rolled in to join them. 

“Any updates Dr. Pym?” Steve asked 

“We think we’re ready to go in” Hank answered cautiously, looking at the computers in front of him 

Janet nodded. 

“Let’s take this baby for a test run!” Scott said 

“Not you, imbecile” Hank turned to Scott

This earned a pout from both himself and Clint who had had a number of plans for when Scott re-entered the Quantum realm. 

“Her” he said, pointing to Alina  
“Oh Joy” she responded half heartedly 

She had avoided trouble for the entire 6 months since her literal death experience in Wakanda. Not one near death experience, not one creepo stalking her, not a single instance of mortal peril at all. Just general avengers stuff, work and missions had taken up her days after Fury took her off her mandated 3 weeks of leave. Even with her work on the quantum realm they had been put at relatively little threat but they were yet to even enter it. Despite this, strange occurrences had been popping up due to it. Too much time spent around it induced strange visions and dreams, huge energy spikes and while she had not told anybody, it messed with the infinity stones greatly.

“Why her? I mean not that I don’t like ya Leelee but c'mon I’ve already been in there man!” Scott replied, using his newly coined nickname for Alina. 

“You almost died last time and we cannot afford to lose that damn suit Scott. Aside from the fact that you’re a complete idiot, Dr. Everton has the Infinity Stones to aid her and the scientific knowledge behind her to successfully navigate the Quantum Realm. I would rather not play a guessing game here” 

“Alina?” Steve asked, questioning her commitment and involvement 

She shrugged 

“It’s been a while since I did something irrational, reckless and dangerous” 

“Oh shut up” Tony smirked 

They had been keeping a very close eye on her since the incident. 

“Well Dr, suit up?” Janet asked 

Alina waved her hand and in a forray of golden magic, she morphed from her semi-casual lab clothes to a tight leather suit of Tony’s creation. 

While Hank and Janet were fiddling with buttons and levers and the machine began to whir, Strange placed a hand on Alina’s shoulder. She glanced up at him calmly. 

“You be careful” he said, his drawling american accent tinged with the slightest bit of worry 

He had retained a somewhat protective and caring nature over her which irked Loki to this day. As Hank was clipping a rope to Alina’s waist and Tony checked it’s dimensions, Loki put his hand on her waist and kissed her hair gently. 

He wasn’t particularly worried for her. This all seemed pretty routine and with the stones, she could handle pretty much anything in his mind. After all, this Quantum Realm seemed to be something of Earth’s doing and anything from Midgard did not particularly pose too much of a threat in his mind. 

“We talk about the wedding when you get back” he murmured quietly to her 

“Yes sir” she said, saluting him with a small smile 

He rolled his eyes at her, his own smile still tweaking his lips as he watched her figure walk toward the portal opening. 

“Okay just remember, avoid time vortexes!! And we will pull you out when you’re ready, you’ll be able to communicate with us at all times!” Janet half yelled over the whirring of the vortex 

Alina nodded, pulled a peace sign at the watching Avengers and then turned to walk into the vortex. In a flash of rainbow light, she disappeared. 

Quickly, Hank ran to the communications panel. 

“Alina! Alina do you copy” 

There was static for a moment. 

“Loud and clear second Erik” she joked 

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

“What do you see?” Hank asked 

“Uhh it’s colourful and… really quiet” she said, her voice crackling over the speaker 

As she looked around inside the Quantum realm her description rang true. She floated weightlessly in a world of liquid colour. It reflected off itself like mirrors and around her was quiet, apart from the occasional whooshing of movement which was reminiscent of waves in the ocean. It was calming, yet in the same respect absolutely terrifying. 

She breathed in and propelled herself forward, half swimming half gliding through the realm. What looked like a mix between a whale and a sea lion with a worm like mouth moved past her without so much as acknowledging her before disappearing into a fractal lense of colour. 

“Okay, try extract some of that good stuff” she heard Scott crackle over the coms

“Roger Roger” she laughed, detaching a canister from her waist, she was beginning to get a headache which she could feel were from the stones interacting with the Quantum Realm. 

Opening it, she allowed it to draw in the rainbow of golden energy around her. On the other side, Hank and Janet checked over the readings of energy. All was going to plan.  
As Hank went to speak to Alina again, the energy spiked and then dropped. The vortex in front of them went dark and cut off. 

“What? No?” 

“What’s happening??” Scott asked 

“Did we get our calculations wrong?” Janet asked Hank worried as they poured over the readings and desperately tried to reconnect with the Quantum Realm 

“No biggy, we just set it back up again right?” Tony asked 

Janet looked up at him worriedly. 

“Even if we did we would have to pinpoint her location in the Quantum Realm and I do not know how long that would take” 

Loki stepped forward onto the platform and picked up the piece of rope that had been attached to Alina, and consequently cut off when the portal closed. He squeezed it in his hand in annoyance. Why did this always happen? 

“Well then I recommend we start working on it now” he said, his voice laced with anger, fear and just the smallest amount of amusement at Alina’s ability to consistently put their wedding off. 

Alina finished filling the canister and tapped back into her comms. 

“Okay guys it’s done bring me back!” she grinned 

She was met with static noise. 

“Guys?” she asked worriedly 

Still no answer. Suddenly the rope snapped and any tension she had which was holding her to the surface was let loose, she began to drift uncontrollably. 

“GUYS!?” she shouted out to no one.


	2. The Avengers?

An hour passed. Then another. Then another. Eventually she lost track of time and space altogether as she floated further into the depths of the Quantum Realm. She had tried connecting with Strange via the Time stone to no avail; it seemed the energy in the realm itself was blocking her making any outside connections. Every time she tried to, either via the time stone, or telepathy or anything else she was encompassed in a variety of voices which buzzed in her head until she was forced to quit her efforts under the fear of passing out. 

She even attempted to teleport herself out, despite Pym’s warning that it would not work due to how the realm functioned and was conceptualized. Unsurprisingly he was right and she failed to do so. She had little choice but to float, hoping whatever had happened on their end was fixable and that they made haste. 

The silence was beginning to bother her. 

Just as this though crossed her mind, a hurricane like vortex of fractal light appeared below her. It twisted and turned and it’s appearance caused those voices to get louder, from whispers to shouts as she squirmed, trying to ease the discomfort.  
As she thrashed around, she was powerless to be sucked downwards, into the hurricane of light and colour. 

The feeling of being dragged was intense and she instinctively braced herself for the pain. Instead, she landed with a thud and a bang on what seemed like marble floor. She curled on her side, groaning in pain as her vision blurred in and out of consciousness. 

“What the fuck” A familiar voice sounded 

She rolled onto her back, her entire body in pain. A flash of red caught her eye and she glanced to the side. 

“Oh my god Stark” she mumbled, half unconscious 

Thank god. At least that rescue mission had been quick and easy, she thought to herself. 

There was a whir as weapons were raised. 

“Who the hell are you?” Steve asked from the other side of her

“And how the fuck do you know me?” Stark asked 

A quick room check confirmed she was at the Avengers Headquarters training rooms. The huge room with floor to ceiling windows confirmed that. What it did not answer was why the Avengers were standing to attack around her. 

“Quit playing games you absolute lunatics” she groaned, pulling herself to her side and balancing precariously on her elbow. 

 

Around her stood the avengers she recognised, minus Thor and Loki except this time there was a woman dressed in red with long brown hair and what seemed to be some sort of half man half AI with red skin and - she froze. 

“The mind stone” she choked out in confusion, staring at the creatures head

“How do you know what -” it began to answer in a calm voice 

“It doesn’t matter right now. She just appeared in a flash of gold from nowhere - she’s a threat until otherwise noted” Rhodey said

Their weapons were still raised and Alina provided no resistance as a SHIELD agent cuffed her wrists and dragged her to her feet. Frankly, she was still in shock. How could they not know who she was? And how did that creature have the mind stone in his head when she already possessed it? 

Dully, she noted blood was dripping down her cheek. She presumably had cut herself somewhere upon hitting the ground and she felt it trickle off her chin as she was brought face to face with the Avengers, still being held firmly by two SHIELD agents. 

Stark examined her curiously and glanced at her suit. There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes at the design and technology it presented but he did not press it. 

As he went to speak, Fury entered the room with Agent Hill. They were both walking at pace and were armed. 

“Alarm systems went off that there was a huge energy spike in this room an-” he cut off as he saw Alina, in custody of the Avengers and SHIELD. 

“How the fuck did she get in here?!” he exclaimed 

“She just appeared from nowhere - literally” Clint said, sipping his drink bottle casually 

“Escort her to interrogation. NOW” Fury commanded 

“WOah woah what the fuck Fury do you seriously not know me?!” She said, her voice strained in confusion 

He looked at her with the same amount of confusion. Hill glanced at him concerned. 

“Ah fuck it just take me to interrogation let’s hash this out” she mumbled as the SHIELD agents dragged her with them.

After several hallways of what she wishes she could call walking but was more akin to being dragged, she was seated in a circular chamber not unlike the Hulk’s cage in the helicarrier. This briefly reminded her of Loki, and Thor, who she noted had not been present in her strange meeting with the Avengers. 

From outside, the Avengers watched her on the video recording. 

“She seemed to know us?” Steve asked, concerned 

“What did she say?” Fury asked 

“She recognised Stark first. It seemed all very casual, she did not appear to feel threatened by us” Nat piped in, curious about the woman. 

“Alright, let’s get some answers” Fury grumbled, leading the way into the room. 

Alina’s head perker up as they all entered and she looked to them curiously. This was elaborate for a prank, even for the likes of Tony or Clint.

“What’s your name?” Steve asked in the same gentle but firm fashion she was used to from him. 

“Are you kidding…?... Dr. Alina Everton” She finally relented after a pause 

“Doctor of what?” Banner asked timidly 

“Forensic pathology, among other things” she responded 

“Where are you from, Ms Everton” Fury asked, pacing the glass

Alina raised her eyebrows at him sarcastically. He wasn’t serious was he? 

“Earth - Midgard” she answered 

The group perked up at her use of the word Midgard. 

“Are you Asgardian?” Stark asked 

“What? No. Im from Earth, Thor is Asgardian” she quipped 

“You know Thor?” Steve questioned 

“Yes I know Thor. And Loki and Odin and Frigga and all of you” 

The room exchanged glances. 

“I find that very hard to believe” Fury spoke

“Are you guys for real right now?! I was with you all bar those two just over a few hours ago!” she exasperated, gesturing to Vision and Wanda. 

“No you weren’t” 

“Oh my god what the fuck is happening where's Loki?” she asked slightly desperately

“Hopefully serving time for his crimes in Asgard” Sam muttered, taking glances at the beautiful woman before him 

“What?” she asked sharply 

“He’s one of you guys now he’s not serving time for anything” she said in confusion 

“Now you’re really crazy” Stark laughed at her

She ran her hands through her hair. Frankly, she was freaking out. Loki was in prison? The Avengers did not know who she was? It was if she had never existed, in their lives or at all really. 

“Okay what about him. How does he have an infinity stone?” she asked pointing to Vision 

Vision stepped forward against the glass, morphing through it. 

“Vision” Steve said sharply 

“It’s alright she won’t hurt me” Vision replied as he floated to the ground and took a step towards Alina. 

“I am Vision. I was created like this. I am...” he said calmly to her 

“Alina.. And I am also then” she said

He looked at her in confusion and she flashed her eyes golden like the mind stone. He took a step back instinctively. 

“What the fuck?” Fury said from outside the cage

“How?” Wanda asked 

“That’s not even half of it” Alina replied, switching effortlessly between all 6 stones before settling on her natural soul stone. 

“You are a source of infinite power” Vision said, his voice barely above a whisper 

“I promise Im not here to hurt anyone. I don’t even know how I got here. I was just on a retrieve mission for you guys and I got stuck and then ended up here.” 

“For us?” Nat asked 

“Yes for you. I don’t know why you don’t know me” Alina replied fearfully 

“Vision get out of there” Steve commanded and Vision floated back through the glass, taking his place by Wanda. 

“She does not intend to harm us” Wanda said, her eyes flashing red momentarily 

“Nonetheless I will not be allowing what could be a potential threat loose in our very headquarters. We have no reason to believe a word she says. She stays here until Thor arrives” Fury directed

“You’ve contacted Thor?” Clint asked 

“Yes. I have my ways” he muttered as he turned to leave. 

“Oh fuck sake come on! What the fuck is happening” Alina spoke to herself, running her hands through her hair in distress. As the others filed out of the room, they took note of her genuine distress. Wanda particularly could feel this radiating off of the woman. 

// 

Back in Alina’s home reality. Hank brainstormed his equations. 

“Any closer yet?” Nat asked, walking in with a cup of coffee to Hank, Janet, Stark, Banner and Selvig all pouring over calculations. 

“Not really so far” Banner mumbled 

“Okay because Loki is starting to get real cranky” she smirked a little. 

Cranky was an understatement. He was down right pissed off, especially since even his own magic could not seem to trace Alina anywhere. 

“Guy can’t catch a break” Banner replied 

“We’ll get her back no matter what” Hank said determinedly 

“Dad, I haven’t heard you sound so determined” Hope joked, from the corner she was sitting in with Scott

“I lost the love of my life once to this Realm. Believe me, it is not fun” he replied which earned him a warm smile from Janet. 

It had been 2 days since the vortex had shut down and they had made very little leeway into figuring out why. They only hoped an answer would present itself soon so they could determine their next move.


	3. Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you're following along and enjoy! Especially if you've carried over from Part 1 of this series! Feel free to throw some ideas of things you might want to see on the table too. I am all ears xxx

Alina figured out very quickly that she could free herself from their cage. It would’ve been very much to her amusement had the situation not been so dire. Upon her discovery, she contemplated her escape. It seemed that they really did have no clue who she was and viewed her as a threat and a danger. However, after some thought she decided to wait until Thor arrived in some hope that perhaps he would recognise her or at least be able to talk some sense into everyone. After all, maybe if he was off world this hadn’t affected him. At this point, she was grasping at straws. 

As she sat, alone in her cell, the Avengers convened. 

“The point we’re overlooking here is she knew who we were” Clint said, his boots lazily on the table 

“She could’ve known you from the news for all we know” Fury pointed out

“Fury, she has ALL the Infinity stones” Stark said snappily 

“Does she though?” Everyone looked to Banner. 

“I mean, she seems to have the same one as Vision. Is that even possible? Could it be a fake? A ruse?” he said, throwing ideas out there

“We can’t know to Thor gets here” Cap pitched in 

“Either way, she isn’t going to harm us” Wanda added 

The room turned to her now. 

Vision nodded in agreement. 

“She could’ve escaped that flimsy cage by now if she wanted to” he added 

Fury raised an eyebrow. 

“Whether or not the infinity stones she has are real, she still has unparalleled power. If I could morph in and out of the entrapment, so could she” he said calmly, giving a loose hand gesture to the room. 

“Friday bring up the security cam” Stark said

They looked to the hologram of the footage in front of them. Indeed, Alina was simply sat on the floor of the cage. They rewinded through it. Not once did she even attempt to escape. Sometimes she laid down, other times she paced, other times she stood but not once did she even do so much as scratch the glass which was encasing her.

Vision looked to the room with a slight smugness at his correct statement. The heat and energy signatures to the footage showed very clearly that she harnessed a lot of power, regardless of the stones. 

“Maybe she’s biding her time. Is this not exactly what Loki did?” Sam asked the room 

“She did say she knew Loki” Natasha nodded, sipping on her iced drink through a straw

“She’s under constant surveillance” Fury replied 

“Didn’t seem to stop Loki” Clint added with a grin 

“Yes. Regretfully, Director, I do feel that if she wished to escape she will have no problem doing so” Vision spoke carefully 

“The what’s she waiting for” Stark asked 

“Thor” Steve replied, swiveling in his chair slightly 

//

Hours turned into days as Alina sat in her cage. It was night number 3 in her glass trap which she had somewhat jovially named the glasshouse. 

“Those in glass houses” she had muttered to herself every time she thought about Fury calling her a threat. 

She was sat with her back against the glass and her forearms stretched across her knees which were raised upwards casually. Her hair was down loose over her shoulders and she stared up at the ceiling, throwing a ball of golden magic which she had created to pass the time. She had attempted to talk casually with the guards but that hadn’t gone down too well, not that she had expected it to. Any question she had asked was greeted with stoic silence and a questioning look. 

What caught her attention tonight happened around 8:30pm, courtesy of the clock which hung on the wall. The guards slowly started filling out. This was no different from usual as this was how they usually shift changed. However, 5 minutes passed and no guards reentered. She glanced around curiously. Had something happened. 

Slowly, she stood, dissipating her golden ball to dust. She watched the door curiously, and after a few moments it slid open. She did not expect to see who she was greeted with. 

Clint, and the new girl, Wanda. 

She stood a metre back from the glass so as not to appear threatening and took a relaxed posed, her arms by her side and her shoulders loose. 

They quietly entered the room and the door snapped shut behind them like an airlock. She waited quietly for one of them to speak, wondering what business they could possibly have with her given the groups warranted distrust. 

“Hey” Clint said softly, as they approached the glass. 

He appeared unarmed, bar his usual pistol, and was dressed rather casually. They both were for that matter. 

“Hey Clint” she said, her own voice soft and quiet 

He shifted a little at her use of his name. 

“We want to know more” Wanda said, her voice a strange mix of American and something akin to the Russian accent

“What about? No matter what I say, it is passed as untrue” Alina said, her voice deep with worry 

“I felt your energy a few days ago and the things you said, they were genuine. I just do not understand” Wanda replied 

Alina raised an eyebrow. This woman was an enhanced. One of Strucker’s perhaps? 

“I am but I do not understand what is going on. I don’t know who you or Vision are and I do not know were Loki and Thor are and I do not know why no one recognises me” 

“Should we?” Clint asked 

“Yes. Clint cmon you’re like a brother to me. You once got me stung by a black widow spider when you and Tony were playing a stupid prank! You have a wife called Laura and a son and a daughter and a farm!” she exclaimed 

He seemed genuinely shocked at this. No one knew about that outside the Avengers. It wasn’t on file either. She noticed this look and read it well. 

“Don’t worry I am not here to hurt anyone I just know you Clint! You made the decision not to assassinate Nat!” 

“You’re not wrong” he half smirked 

“Look I don’t know what’s going on but I am part of the Avengers. That’s how I know you guys.” she said 

“Explain it from the start” Clint said calmly. 

Alina did. She explained her kidnapping by Thor, her journey with the infinity stones, the Shadow man, Thanos, The Avengers, Hank Pym, the Quantum Realm right up until she landed on the floor of the Avengers facility training room. 

“She’s telling the truth” Wanda said, her eyes flashing red again. 

“That’s not possible though” Clint replied

“I don’t understand anymore than you guys!” 

“Unless this Quantum Realm sent you back in time?” Clint asked 

Alina shook her head in despair.

“Even if I had been sent back in time. The likes of Banner would’ve still recognised me as a scientist - this is like I never even existed. And, if I had been sent back in time then how come I don’t know about Wanda and Vision? Even if they had died before I met the Avengers I still would’ve heard of them” she explained exasperated 

“Ok you’ve got me there kid” he said 

Admittedly, he liked the woman. She seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders after all and Wanda said she wasn’t lying. 

“We know you can get out of the cage” Wanda said quietly 

Alina raised one eyebrow at her assessingly. 

“I can”

“Then why haven’t you escaped?” Clint asked, perplexed as to why she would voluntarily choose to stay in a glass prison cell. 

She paused a second, a look of intense sadness crossing her features. 

“Because, you guys are my family” she said quietly 

Clint considered the sincerity in her voice and glanced to Wanda who also noticed this.

“Look we’ll figure this out okay?” Clint said gently, the father in him coming out slightly 

Alina nodded sadly. She was just meant to be doing a retrieve mission and somehow all of this mess had happened. It was the loneliest feeling in the world being surrounded by the people who she loved and protected and yet to not be recognised by them at all. As Clint and Wanda turned to leave, she let a tear drip down her face sadly. 

“Thanks Clint” she whispered, her shoulders dropping along with her head. Clint glanced back and felt a strange tinge of recognition and pain in his chest. 

“Promise you, we’ll sort this out” he said back quietly 

Gently, he and Wanda slipped through the door and out into the corridor. They nodded to the guards who moved to reoccupy their positions inside the cell room. Clint really felt for the woman who not only seemed genuine but incredibly sad in her position. Wanda too, was able to feel the woman’s sadness and confusion strongly. She was also convinced that the woman was mentally stable and had no intentions of snapping on them however she was yet to find a way to show this to Stark who was intent on not mucking this up. 

Day four rolled around and they were back at their meeting room table discussing their options. 

“She knows stuff about us she couldn’t possibly know otherwise” Clint interjected into the middle of the argument 

“Like what?!” Stark asked, frustrated

Clint paused. So far, no one knew about Wanda and himself visiting her the night before. 

“Look, Wanda and I went to talk to her the other night…” 

“You did what? She could get out at any given moment!” Rhodey exclaimed 

“And she didn’t! Shouldn’t that give us more of a reason to trust her!” Wanda replied back sharply 

“LOok here me out! Nat, she knew about Laura and the kids” Clint said quietly 

Nat sat up straight and leaned forward on the table at this. She knew how big of a deal their safety was to Clint. 

The room fell silent, also aware of this fact. A look of concern washed across Nick Fury’s features. 

“She knew their names, where they lived. She knew about you Nat and what I had done to protect you” he said   
“No one knows that” Fury said in a low voice 

“She does” Clint replied

“How?” 

“We don’t know but we don’t think she’s a threat” Wanda replied 

“Well Im not willing to take that risk!” Stark replied

“And what risk is that Stark?” A booming voice sounded from the door 

They were relieved to see Thor stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and a grin on his face. They were less relieved to see Loki next to him. 

Weapons were out in seconds. 

“Thor I swear to your dad” Stark said

“My friends! I understand your confusion but I was sent word of this risk by Director Fury and it seemed to fall into Loki’s category of expertise” 

“Yeah the last time he was here he tried to kill all of us” Steve said 

“How’s that going for you Reindeer Games?” Stark asked 

Loki smirked and crossed his arms. 

“It varies from moment to moment” 

“lOKi” Thor growled 

“Thor you cannot just bring murder spree down here” Clint whined 

“Do not worry. I have discussed in length with Odin the situation and he has placed an enchantment on my brother should he cause death or harm here on Midard, or leave my presence, he will be banished to Hel for eternity” 

“What’s to say that’s going to stop him?” Nat asked 

Loki smirked again. 

“Believe me, Hel is not a nice place to be” he replied 

Fury waved his hand in exasperation. 

“Fine. At this point whatever. I am more concerned about the girl in holding” 

This caused Loki to raise both his eyebrows. 

“My my I really must meet this Midgardian if she is more of a concern to you than I” he said wickedly 

“Just follow me. ALL of you” Fury demanded, edging past Loki with a glare and taking the lead down the hallway. 

Loki rolled his eyes and turned to follow. Thor placed a heavy set hand on his shoulder as a warning, letting Stark, Vision, Wanda and Nat pass first to ensure he had a strong barrier of Avengers surrounding him. 

As they began their walk, he voiced his opinion. 

“Do you seriously think I would do you any harm at this point?” he drawled 

“Yes” All their voices echoed in the hallway in answer

“Well you are wrong. I am far more intrigued by this mortal” 

“I AM faR MoRE InTRIguEd bY ThIS mORtAl” Clint mocked in a funny voice causing Stark and Nat to snigger. 

In her cell, Alina heard their footsteps from 3 corridors away. Thor must have finally arrived she thought, raising herself to her feet and setting herself up to be ready for what was to come. Everyone seemed different, more naive and she could only assume Thor was the same. As the doors opened, first came Nat, Stark, Steve, Wanda and Vision. She then saw Thor’s figure fill the doorway and his eyes land on her curiously. 

She was disappointed to see no recognition. However this was not the biggest shock to her. Instead, that came to the figure which appeared from behind Thor. Loki. 

Her mouth dropped open slightly at his appearance and her eyes widened. 

“Loki?” she said in confusion 

He looked equally as confused at her recognition but put it down to his New York attack. Instead, he assessed her carefully. His eyes racking over her. She was a very beautiful woman no doubt, with long wavy brown hair and the brightest green eyes he had seen in a very long time. 

Loki looked different to how she knew him. She had never seen him dressed in the dark green and black armour he was currently wearing with it’s wide golden shoulder pads and his hair was longer and messier than she had seen him ever wear it. He was considering her like prey and she watched him in confusion. They locked eyes and he chuckled slightly when she did not break eye contact. 

“Well, she’s brave. What else?” he asked mockingly as the others filled the room 

Thor looked to Fury for an explanation. 

Fury sighed. 

“Four days ago, we experienced a massive, isolated power surge in Building F of this facilities. Thor, you’d recognise it as the training facility. What we found there, was her, apparated out of nowhere in a fractal light glow. She seemed to know us, and yet we have no knowledge or record of her” Fury explained 

Thor approached the glass. 

“Tell me mortal, what is your name” 

“It’s Alina, Thor” she said defeatedly 

“And what has brought you here?”

“I dont know Thor. Im an Avenger, but no one recognises me or knows who I am. I’ve been to Asgard Thor” 

“Impossible” Loki sneered 

“I know Odin and Frigga. The Warriors 3 and Lady Sif. Great Warrior Eli, the Jotuns, Laufey, Surt, I know you have Royal healers there is one named Frazella…” She trailed off, her large eyes not breaking contact with Thor 

“That’s.. Not possible” Thor replied 

“Thor. She has the Infinity Stones” Steve said quietly 

“What?” Loki asked sharply 

Steve glanced to Alina. She did not move. She felt a strange crushing fear that was so weirdly specific to the situation. 

Clint stepped forward. 

“Alina please” he said gently 

She shrugged a little and flashed her eyes to the Soul Stone. Loki took several strides forward until he was up against the glass, Thor followed. She then switched in and out of all 6 stones, giving small demonstrations of their capabilities before returning to her green eyes.

“But the mind stone rests in the Vision” Thor said 

“That’s why we thought she could be faking it, that it could be an illusion” 

“It’s not” Loki snapped 

“How do you know?”

“You cannot ‘fake’ a cosmic power such as that. Not even the most powerful of all beings could do that. They are real and this woman possesses all of them” he said, his voice in a tone of shock and curiousity no one had heard from him before. 

“How then?” 

“I don’t know. The Infinity Stones should kill a mere mortal” Loki muttered 

“Well, you taught me Loki” Alina said quietly 

“Brother” Thor said harshly 

“No I didn’t. I dont TEACH people and I never have” he hissed 

“That is true” Thor conceded. He had never seen his brother teach a soul.

“Why haven’t you escaped?” Loki asked Alina, his face inches from the glass. 

“I was waiting for Thor. I was hoping someone would recognise me or have some answers” 

“You appear to know me” he remarked 

“Funny story that” she smirked 

He perked up at her cheeky remark, not something that many were brave enough to do so casually around him. 

“Well, Loki, this seems like your area of expertise. Get on in there” Stark said 

“And do what exactly?” Loki raised an eyebrow

“Figure out if the stones are real” 

“I have already told you they are” 

“Figure out who she is? How powerful she is? Magic is kinda your forte buddy” Loki rolled his eyes and morphed through the glass walls of the cage, standing a metre in front of Alina. 

For her, this was a strange feeling. To be in the presence of her lover and yet to not be at all all at the same time. Loki took a step toward her, towering over her. He could feel her pure power. 

“Loki…” she said quietly, looking up at him. 

“You do not fear me” he replied curiously 

“What do I have to fear from you?” she smiled gently 

This caught him off guard. To reestablish his dominance, he cloned himself behind her. She jumped, but not as much as he expected her too. 

“Why do you ALWAYS do that?” she seemed to mutter on instinct 

There was a sense of familiarity she had with him which was strange and new. 

“So, Mortal… how do you know of us?” 

“Well, firstly, im not mortal and secondly, like I said you guys are my family”

“Not mortal?” Thor asked 

Alina sighed 

“Celestial” 

“Impossible” Thor said 

As if to answer, Alina allowed her heritage to fill her veins, her eyes turning a starry midnight blue and her hands buzzing. Slowly, she returned to normal, giving Loki a wink which was almost habitual. 

“By the norns… You must be the only full blooded celestial in existence” Thor said 

“Something like that”

“Yes but IS SHE a threat” Fury asked, exasperated 

Loki glanced at him over his shoulder. 

“She could kill all of us in this room without breaking so much as a sweat” he said direly   
“So she is one” 

“No. If she wanted to she could’ve already done so. Where she came from however is another enigma” 

“Wait…” Alina muttered, dissapaiting Loki’s second clone with a wave of her hand, much to Loki’s shock. 

“What?” Thor asked 

“Loki… You can see memories right, when you touch someone’s forehead you can project memories” 

“How do you know that?” he half smirked, intrigued by this woman 

“Details. But you can right?” 

“Yes of course” 

“Why don’t you just do that? You can see my memories, know where I came from and know that I am not lying when I say I know you all” 

“Perhaps, yes” 

“But what if reindeer games here lies to us” Stark asked 

“Wanda would be able to tell would she not?” 

“I would” Wanda nodded certainly. 

Loki glanced down at the woman in front of him before shrugging slightly. 

“Terribly sorry” he smirked, before raising his fingers to her temple. Memories flashed before him. Himself and Thor taking her from earth, teaching her on Asgard, fighting alongside the Avengers, her kidnapping, her acquisition of the stones, himself slowly falling in love with her, the adventures and missions and heartache, the family, Thanos, her death and finally, her entrance into the Quantum Realm.

“We talk about the wedding when you get back” he watched himself say, planting a kiss on her hair. 

In a flash, he was back standing in the glass cell with her. He looked at her in complete shock. The woman’s memories were no lie. He turned to the group and Thor noticed his brother to be shocked in a way he had not seen before.

“She does know you. She fought with you. She lived with you. I fought and lived with you. I just… I do not understand how” he muttered 

“He is not lying” Wanda said lowly to the group 

Turning back to Alina, he looked down on her. His eyes slits as they tightened in confusion. He leaned down to her slightly and looked her dead in the eyes. 

“Is what I saw correct?” 

“Yes Loki” 

“You are my… fiance?” He asked quietly, now out of earshot of the Avengers who were arguing about what would be done now.

Alina nodded, a small sad smile on her face. 

“Yes. Whatever’s happened. Where ever I came from - you were my fiance” 

He cocked his head, a small smirk on his face. 

“Well, this should be fun then shouldn’t it” 

“Loki?” she asked questioningly as he turned and exited the cell, once again watching her like prey. 

To her side, the door opened. 

“You are free to leave the cell” Stark said 

She watched him tentatively, before taking her opportunity and exiting it. Slowly, she edged towards them. Nat noticed she seemed to be trained. 

“Thank you” she said quietly 

“But now we need to figure out where you’re from” Banner said, putting his glasses on. 

She smiled warmly at him. At least one of them was the same. 

“If she is a source of unlimited power it goes without saying she should be put to shield use” Fury cut in 

“No. No way. We are not using her for that. When has that EVER worked out in our favour?” Steve lectured 

Fury rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll check in later” he said over his shoulder, exiting the room

Cautiously, she followed the Avengers up the corridors into the upstairs open plan lab. Whatever was going on, she was hopefully on a path to fix it. 

// 

5 days had passed. Loki was tearing his hair out. They had made about 15% progress to reopening the Quantum Realm and even when they did they still had to figure out where in it’s vastness, Alina was stuck. 

He sat in the sky lounge looking out over New York. It was thunderstorming and rain was lashing the windows. He watched drops trickle down as he let his mind wander. It was not often he was rendered useless. Even Strange in this occurrence had some sort of knowledge of the Quantum Realm. It was not very often that his magic could do something Loki’s couldn’t but Strange continued to search the fragments of the realm he could access. 

Clint sat down in the armchair across from him, nursing a hot coffee in his hands. 

“Missing Ali?” he asked 

Loki’s eyes flicked to his. His hands were under his chin as he had been thinking and he sighed, relaxing them to the chair. 

“Everyday” 

“You know it’s funny to see you so devoted man. Never thought I’d see you like this. Then again ya know, after well New York I never thought I’d see you at all” 

“Fair game” Loki shrugged at the jive

“Look, we’re a family, we protect our family and we will get her back” Clint said, blowing on his coffee

Loki evaluated him sadly. 

“You know, she’s been putting off the wedding but I never thought she’d go quite this far” he joked half heartedly 

“Ah women” Steve smiled, walking into the room 

“Did Laura put off your wedding?” Steve asked, making himself a drink

“Nah, I did actually” Clint said 

“Really?” Loki asked 

“Yeah it was tough man. I wasn’t sure if I was able to commit, what with this lifestyle and all and I never wanted to put her in danger. Plus, every time we’d set a date I’d get sent away and it just kept not working out. We ended up eloping on a holiday” he laughed 

“Yeah well I’m divorced” Scott said, throwing himself on a couch

“Do not mistake this for a therapy session” Loki warned 

“Nah man i’m just saying, sometimes getting married is a mistake like yeah” he drawled 

“Not with her” Loki smiled 

“I dunno dude I thought that too but then she seemed so reluctant. I thought it was just nerves ya know? Then we have a kid, then yeah what do ya know she wants a divorce and I’m morphing into ant sized me once a week” he said 

“You didn’t sound like you were very good at being married” Steve grinned 

“Excuse me how many marriages have you had?” Scott asked 

“Well I spent 70 years frozen in ice so I think I get some leeway here” Steve laughed 

“Well I am over 1500 years old and I am yet to be married” Loki smiled 

“Yaaa but didn’t Alina work out once that you’re really only like 24 in human years dude? Aren’t you a little young to be getting married” Clint joked 

“In Asgard both Thor and Myself should be well married by now” Loki pointed out

‘Yall are fucked up” Scott teased, hanging his head off the couch. 

Loki appreciated the distraction of such an irrelevant and silly conversation. It allowed his mind to divert from the worry he had for Alina and instead revel in the simplicities of human life. It was very entertaining.


	4. An Encounter

As Alina let them run tests on her, she got a sense of Deja Vu. It was a horrible feeling, almost as if she was starting over. At the same time, it was a lonely feeling. She was surrounded by the people she should feel most at home with, and yet, she felt the most alienated and alone she had felt in a very long time. Even when she was getting tortured by Demetri, the loneliness was more of one of isolation than it was one of pure loneliness. To know she should feel at peace and calm and yet she was anything but. She did not even know where she was or if she could fix this. 

Bruce was taking her heart rate and bloods as she sat there patiently pondering this. It was not often she wanted to breakdown in tears. After all, she was a trained operative, she dealt with trauma and torture on the daily and had survived through far worse than this yet she could feel the absolute pain of this in her chest. She should be throwing cashews at Scott in her lab while Loki snickered and had them disappeared. She should be creating new hand to hand combat moves with Nat and Bucky. She should be dodging Stark and Bartons inane pranks whilst vowing to get them back. Most of all, she should be planning her wedding with Loki. Something she had purposefully been putting off for a while now. She had very untraditional views on marriage and did not see the rush. Any time her work came up, she put it on the backburner. Any time her work came up, she thought about whether or not this is really what Loki wanted. She was not going to be a full time asgardian princess after all and she feared that perhaps he had expectations there that she would be unable to fulfill. She didn’t want to disappoint him. 

She didn’t have a chance to address that at the moment though. From across the room, Loki watched her in her obviously trouble thoughts. This woman was cunning, smart, beautiful and powerful and while he wanted her, he could not fathom why he would ever marry her, let alone any woman. However, he could not help but feel concerned for her. Annoyed, he brushed this aside, determined to figure out more about her. 

“So uh… What was your PhD on?” Bruce asked tentatively as he prodded her with a needle

“Intense Muscle tissue regeneration” she replied 

“Like the cradle?” Stark asked, tapping on a vial of blood

“Yes, exactly”

“You’re a smart woman” Bruce replied 

Alina shrugged and went silent again. Being in this environment, answering these questions felt so alien to her. Even thinking about it made her want to breakdown in a way she had never done before. She had never in her life felt this vulnerable and confused. Bruce and Tony exchanged a glance, both noticing her apparent fear. 

After what seemed like forever, she was free to roam the facility. Both Loki and Wanda had agreed to trace her power, should she try to escape and Friday had a heat sense on her at all times to track her movements. She was, thankfully, given a bedroom and decided the best course of action was to have a shower. 

Feeling slightly more refreshed, and thankful to not be wearing her Tony’s catsuit, she slipped out of her room and decided to wander the facility. She knew it well after all but needed to be anywhere but confined right now. Three hallways down from her bedroom, Loki fell into step with her. His presence brought conflicting feelings to light for her. On one hand, in her initial mind this was her fiance, someone she had known for over a year and a half and someone she had an innate trust in and history with. On the other hand however, she was aware this wasn’t her Loki. That he was a different man, with a different agenda, and no knowledge of her or anything they had shared. So, she was required to be on guard. 

This was difficult. Everything in her told her he was someone she could let down her guard with and relax however she was aware that to do that could have dire consequences in this situation. Nor would it help her. 

Instead, she simply glanced up at him with pursed lips before turning her head forward and continuing walking. Sensing her tension, he chuckled, not taking his eyes off her. 

Eventually this caused her to stop in front of him and face him. 

“What do you want Loki?” she asked, exasperated 

“Come now, is that really any way to talk to your fiance?” Loki jived 

“Do not be cruel Loki” she hissed angry, her eyes tightening 

“Hilarious really you could even assume I would want to marry someone such as yourself” 

Alina glared at him. He was being an ass on purpose right now. 

“Well lucky this version of you does not have to uphold such a promise” she growled 

Turning her into the wall, he took her chin in one hand and raised it up slightly. He wore a wicked smirk on his face that told Alina he was playing games here. 

“Come on now darling, this version of myself is still me is it not?” his lips twinged as he purred out the sentence 

Despite her better judgement, or rather due to a lack of judgement, Alina froze up. She was already having difficulty differentiating this Loki from her Loki and all of a sudden, his closeness, his smell, the way his lips tweaked when he was teasing, it all got the better of her. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak. 

Realising this caused Loki’s smirk to deepen as he pushed her back against the wall, resting his body on top of hers. He quite enjoyed the dominance he was having. It was like trapping an animal in his grips, only to let it go and then catch it again. 

“You know, if anything, doesn’t that make you mine?” he questioned, his lips on her ear 

He heard her breath hitch as he gently kissed her ear. Smirking against it slightly, he pulled back and looked at her. Her cheeks were slightly pink in shock and her green eyes looked torn and confused. 

“Or perhaps not?” he grinned, letting his hand drop from her cheek to her neck and then lazily onto her collarbone before turning and disappearing down the hallway. 

As he rounded the corner, his presence vacated and Alina could breathe again. Sliding down the wall, she let out a silent sob as tears began to run down her face. The overwhelming feeling took over again and this time she couldn’t control it. Her heart and mind was conflicted. That was Loki but that was not her Loki. Nor was it a Loki she recognised. He was wicked, and mischievous but had no regard for her. Whilst her Loki was perhaps often the former, something that had always been his uniqueness in his personality was his regard for her. Even in the beginning, he had cared despite not wanting to admit it. This Loki, however did not know her nor care too. She was simply a game for him to play and he was playing it. 

Slumped against the wall she let the tears fall down her face. It was Clint that found her, a few minutes later. He had been assigned to watch Friday’s updates and noticed Loki and Alina’s heat signatures were together. Taking this as bad news, he had set off to find them. He had been right to think of it as bad news, but not quite in this way. 

He had run into Loki on his way to Alina and had put out a firm hand to stop the God. 

“Why were you just with Alina?” he had asked 

“Oh her and I were just having a little chat” the God had drawled, a gloating smirk on his face 

Clint had stared him down for a moment before deciding Alina took precedent here and bolted off down the hallway. He was shocked, as he rounded the corner to see the woman slumped against the wall. At first, he thought Loki had physically harmed her however as he approached he realised she was crying. Mounting his bow back onto his back sling, he crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Hey, you alright kid?” 

She looked up at him and her eyes shone with pain and confusion. Instead she nodded. 

“Yeah I’m okay” she said softly 

“Did Loki do this?” Clint growled 

“To an extent” she replied

He muttered something to himself and Alina wiped the tears from her cheeks. 

“What happened?” Clint asked, reminding himself to unleash hell on Loki later  
“It’s kind of hard to explain. This is just alien, Clint. All of this. This should be my home. You guys are my family. And while I recognise you it’s as if I never existed. It’s overwhelmingly lonely to be where you should be but also not at all. Loki simply exploited that based off the memories he was able to access” 

“You knew him, in your other life?” Clint asked gently 

She nodded. 

“I knew all of you. We were family. But, Loki… He trained me. He taught me what I know. He grew with me. We were best friends and… we were engaged” she whispered 

“Oh… wow” Clint said, taking a seat beside Alina against the wall. They were lucky that the other side of the corridor was all glass window, providing a view of training SHIELD agents running on the grass. 

“You have to understand, where I am from, Loki isn’t like how you know him. He’s part of the team. It took some time though I’ll tell ya that” she laughed 

“That would be so weird” Clint laughed 

“It was for a little while, he was only meant to be there to train me and the stones but then I guess everyone just got tight knit” 

“No wonder this is tough” Clint said solemnly 

“You guys are the only family I have. I never used to put any prestige into before I met any of you. My parents died when I was a kid and from there on out I simply thought it was just something meant for certain people, and I was not one of those people. But I found a family in you all. So to have that all taken away, yet be right under my nose is horrible” she replied 

“And Loki… ?” 

“He saw my memories. He knows who he was to me and he finds it amusing, trivial even. To him, here, I am simply a game to be played. It is hard to differentiate this Loki from the Loki I know so well” she said in a small voice 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’d do if this happened for me and Laura. I could never lose her but… still have her I guess? But just not the same. I’d never want to see her not know me, not care for me, not have the memories we’ve shared together” he choked up a little 

“You should cherish the fact you do” Alina smiled thoughtfully 

A voice crackled over Clint’s comms. 

“Clint, you got eyes on Infinity girl?” Stark asked   
Clint looked at Alina and sighed. 

“Yeah I’m with her now” 

“Wanna bring her to the lab? Bruce has a theory” 

Alina and Clint exchanged a look as they rose to their feet. A theory was better than nothing. 

Arriving in the lab, Bruce was pacing up and down, a number of holograms and charts projected in the air. Alina had wiped the tears off her face however Stark noticed she had been crying. He naturally felt for her a little. He himself had been put in situations that had made him feel anxious and isolated, despite this he still distrusted her. 

“Alina, you said you went into what you called the Quantum Realm right? And then, due to some sort of malfunction you got kind of stuck there?” Bruce asked 

She nodded hesitantly. 

“Well, what if… I mean what if you got sucked into a different reality? I know I sound like a mad scientist right now but hear me out” Bruce said

“Okay”

“You recognise all of us yet the setting is different and none of us have any clue who you are right? You also possess an infinity stone which Vision already has. Now Thor has said that there are no copies of the Infinity Stones however Loki has said you definitely have one. Neither yours nor vision’s are fake. Now, could that be because you have brought the Infinity Stones from YOUR reality into this one?” 

Alina listened intently. She hadn’t realised this was such a possibility. 

“That would explain that. And why I do not seem to exist here, nor do any of you know me despite me knowing intricate details about your lives. It also explains Vision and Wanda. They must not exist in my reality” 

Bruce nodded earnestly.

“Dr. Banner if this is true… Can we fix it?” Alina asked 

Bruce became infinitely more subdued at this as he lowered his glasses. 

“I don’t know. We can try. I mean we do have access to infinity stones which might help but none of us have tapped into the Quantum Realm or even know how to without levelling Manhattan - which believe me I know more than you want to about” 

Alina smiled a little but her heart felt heavy. At least now she had an explanation for her alienation and the confusing events that were occuring. 

“Well you’re not a threat then I guess” Stark said 

“No but your whiskey collection is” she quipped back, out of pure habit. 

This caused him to smirk at her a little. 

“Fair game” he grinned 

Clint clapped her on the shoulder. 

“Cmon lets go let off some steam” 

//

“Okay let’s open it up” Hank said 

They were testing a theory. 

There was a loud whirring and the vortex began to open. 

“IT’s WORKING!” Hope yelled over the noise

As if a jinx, the vortex shrunk down again and disappeared. 

“Damnit almost!” Hank said, pouring over his and Selvig’s calculations.

The team felt disappointed and decided to leave the scientists to it. It was edging over a week now since they’d lost Alina to the Quantum Realm. They tried not to think about it too much. After all, she was capable, she had already proved that. As Janet said, she was likely just floating in there, wondering what had happened. It was a calming thought to think she wasn’t in any immediate danger of harm or death so they stuck to this. Some, however, worried more than others and it showed on the likes of Bucky, Stephen, Clint and Loki. 

Sat in the lounge, the group began to discuss various topics. Thor was in the kitchen making himself pop tarts, which Tony had conceded to buying out considering how many Thor was going through. 

“Any luck yet, Strange?” Steve asked the sorcerer who shook his head frustrated 

“I have tried everything. Scoured every ancient book and have found nothing” he replied 

Loki shook his head. A part of him had been hoping Strange would find something in his books or teachings, not that he himself put much weight into them to begin with.   
“Man this was a bad idea from the start” Clint said from his chair

“It’s the risk we all take as part of this job” Nat lectured 

Clint poked his tongue out at her. She in turn, rolled her eyes. It wasn’t that she wasn’t worried for her friend, she simply understood the risks and she knew Alina did too. She glanced to Loki who was watching the room with a slightly vacant expression on his face. The past week had been tough on him. Nowhere near as tough as Alina’s death but nonetheless, it was taking a toll. She understood though. Sometimes, she still found his change in behaviour strange or unnerving but he always made sure to correct that in her mind with a particularly mischievous comment or prank. 

In her thought bubble, she had not noticed the turn in conversation and was surprised to see Thor offering her his hammer. She smirked and shook her head. 

“Oooh no no thank you that is not a question I need answering” 

“ALAS A CHAMPION ARISES!” Scott declared, reaching for the hammer. As soon as it left Thor’s hand and touched his, he was sent straight to the ground. Howls of laughter erupted from the group. 

Grinning, Thor lifted the hammer and pulled Scott to his feet, brushing him down roughly. 

“Don’t worry buddy we’ve all been there before” Tony said, tipping his glass of whiskey slightly 

“I can’t believe I’m not worthy” he announced

“I most certainly can” Hope sniggered from the corner 

Steve laughed in turn. 

“What does Cap think of you now?” Hope asked smirking 

“He’s a little on the small size” Cap quipped 

“You’d know big guy” Tony winked 

Steve immediately blushed, realising his unintended innuendo. 

“Cmon guys!” Scott sulked 

Loki laughed lightly at their trivial nonsense. He only wished he could be sharing this with Alina. His mind flicked back to the wedding. He still wondered about her reluctance to set a date and the evermore occurence of pushing it back. The more he thought about it, the more it worried him and recently, he had plenty of time to think. He just hoped Pym sorted this mess out soon. 

From across the room, Bucky read the God’s face. His dilemma was rather obvious to him, and perhaps to many others. He too was perplexed at Alina’s indecisions. She was not often an indecisive person and while he had tried to pry some information out of her, he got nothing. Absently, he toyed with his dog tag around his neck; the same one Alina had recreated. He hoped she was okay. The way the doctor spoke of it made it sound as if she was simply sitting there waiting for them to figure out how to get her, which sounded better than the possibility of her off potentially dying somewhere. Deep in thought, he did not notice himself being addressed. 

“Buck you with us?” Steve asked 

“Yeah sorry Steve. What’s up?”

“Wanted to know if you were keen to go do some training or something?”

“Anything to get my mind off of this mess” he nodded, raising himself from his seat with a smile to his friend. 

“Gotta kick somebody's ass” Steve replied


	5. Who?

She had begun training, idly to pass time. In all honesty, she didn’t know what to do. If this was a different realm as Stark and Banner had theorized then whatever she did was to little or no effect. Since, after all, this was not her reality. It was as if she was frozen, unable to make any progress due to the inevitability of it all. All she could do was train, and stay on her guard. The latter became increasingly difficult as the Avengers from this realm attempted to form a relationship with her. 

Often times they attempted to train with her, offering jokes and games to lighten to mood with hopes she would warm to them. It became evident to them that she was easily able to beat any of them in a fight with no sweat given at all. Even Vision gave her very little issue when it came to training. She did however, attempt to keep her abilities under wraps but not enough to let them think her weak. Either way, she was alone with her thoughts and memories. 

It had been just over one week since her arrival and the overwhelming feeling she had in the first few days still remained. It rested on her shoulders like a heavy fur shawl and reflected into her mood. Often times, when alone in her room in the facility she would breakdown at her inability to fix this situation. It was at these times that she wanted nothing more than to be back in her reality, back with her Loki, back throwing stuff at Clint and rolling her eyes at Scott and having unannounced visits from the warriors three. Her solitude did giver her a lot of time to think however and one day, finally this came in handy. 

She was pacing Stark and Banner’s lab, which after a bit of scuffling, they had allowed her to participate in. She had written down everything she could remember Hank saying about the Quantum Real but so far had not come up with the combination of factors she needed to recreate it. It was not her field of expertise after all. Up until 6 months ago she had never even encountered the concept. She had decided therefore, to leave the thought of the Quantum Realm alone and her mind wandered to Strange. It was then that it hit her. 

She remembered the stories he had told her, about his accident. How he had travelled to… somewhere, and was taught by an ancient master of the mystic arts, someone who could connect with the Quantum Realm, as well as other planes of reality. 

Dropping the scalpel she had been twirling aimlessly in her hand, she racked her brains searching for the place Stephen had told her about. Spinning the chair closest to her around, she straddled it and scooched over to the closest computer screen. She spent hours googling, trying to jog her memory. She was so engrossed that she did not even notice Stark and Banner enter and begin tinkering around with some energy project they were working on. Yet, still she could not think of where Strange had said he had gone. Albeit, she sometimes tuned him out since his ego often overtook the situation and he was no stranger to grotesque amounts of bragging.

In this moment, she absently heard Banner scream out. As she looked up, she saw Stark running towards her, his arms outstretched as if to tackle her out of the way. There was a bright flash and a bang and in an instant, the scene before her was gone. She was weightless once more, floating in the Quantum Realm. Around her, technicolours tranced and moved. 

Before she had time to process what had happened, she was harshly dragged sidewards causing her whiplash and she felt her body and mind fall into unconsciousness. 

She woke to herself being shaken gently and a voice echoing in her ears. 

“Hey! Hey, ma’am are you okay?” A concerned voice rang out 

“Steve I think she’s really hurt” another concerned voice said 

Slowly, she pried open each eye. She was on her side and from her angle all she could see was brick wall, puddles and a dumpster. The all too familiar scene of a dingy New York alleyway. 

“Hey ma’am, look at me. I can help you” groggily, she rolled to look at her helper. 

“Oh, hey Steve” she muttered 

He looked at her curiously. Of course he didn’t know her, Alina thought. She put two and two together relatively quickly, theorising what had happened. 

Flicking her eyes to the other man, who she realised to be Bucky. He still had his metal arm and dark outfit but his hair was much shorter and his eyes a bit softer. Steve was, too, dressed in his dark blue suit. He sported a bit of stubble and his classic combed over blonde hair. His eyes softened as she looked around with obvious haziness and confusion. 

“How’d you get here?” Bucky asked her

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you” she groaned 

Her whole body ached. 

“Try me” Steve added 

Alina raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. 

“Why did you stop and help me?” she asked. It wasn’t like it was unusual for people to be passed out in the alleyways of New York. It was rife with homeless and drug addicts with nowhere else to be. 

“You didn’t look to be someone who put themselves in this position” Steve answered kindly 

“Steve can never resist helping a lady” Bucky added, with a wink 

He extended a hand and pulled Alina off of the ground. She stood in front of the two men, watching them curiously before sighing. 

“You don’t know me do you?” 

“Should we?” Steve asked 

She shook her head slowly. 

“I think i’m concussed” she smiled softly 

Both men picked up the sadness in her eyes as she looked away and glanced at one another. There was clearly far more to this story than they were aware.

“Why don’t you come with us then? At least get a medical check” Bucky offered 

“Where ? Avengers tower?” She asked 

“Avengers what?” Steve replied 

“Big skyscraper in the MIDDLE of New York?” she questioned 

“Uhhh you mean Stark tower?” Bucky replied 

She furrowed her eyebrows in question. 

“Where is Stark anyway?” she asked 

“Probably at a business meeting to sell more weapons” Steve said bitterly 

“What?” Alina asked 

“Cmon the concussion can’t have gotten you that bad? Tony Stark is the biggest weapons manufacturer in the world” 

“Iron Man? A…?” she began

“What the hell is an Iron Man?” Bucky laughed 

//

“So you’re telling me we need to go to Brazil?” Tony asked skeptically 

“Not all of us” Pym replied in frustration. 

They were having this conversation for what seemed like the 1000th time as they attempted to hash out details. 

“There is a scientist there who was one the front runners in Quantum Energy research, well before even myself. However, he began to resent his work and went into hiding in Brazil. We think he might know the missing piece here” 

“Maybe he doesn't want to be bothered” Bruce muttered 

“Well you would know, Dr Banner” Hank nodded

“But we need him?” Steve said, inclining his head from his seated position. 

It had been over a well over a week at this point with no proper progress made. Whatever they had broken, they had broken well and good according to Hank. 

“Yes. He is the only person I can think of who may have some more original ideas as to fixing this problem” 

“So who goes?” Banner asked 

“I say Banner, Janet, Stark, Hope, Scott, all stay here no matter what. You’ll be able to keep working on the machine and might figure something else out while we are gone” 

“Dibs on going” Clint said, snapping his bow to his back with a thwack. 

“Myself, Mr Barton, Captain Rogers, Thor…” Hank began 

“I will be going as well” Loki announced 

Hank nodded to him. 

“If Barton goes, I go. I speak Brazilian Portuguese so I have use” Nat added

“Who even are you?” Stark asked sarcastically 

“Highly trained assassin” she remarked 

“As am I” Bucky added

Steve nodded. 

“I would also like to accompany this trip. My knowledge of the Quantum Realm is not scientific as such as it is mystical” Strange gestured from the bar stool he was leant on. 

“Fine okay it’s sorted. Anyone who was not on the ‘going’ side of things, stays here” Stark rolled his eyes. He didn’t particularly feel like a trip to Brazil in the first place. Besides, he was meant to be taking Pepper out for dinner tonight and he knew how angry she would be if he cancelled again. Especially since he was yet to explain the situation to her. 

“Alright suit up” Steve announced. 

// 

“Okay what about Nat?” Alina asked, sitting on the medical bay table of what she recognised to be the old shield building in New York.

 

“Who?” Steve asked 

“Natasha Romanov? Black Widow?” she asked

Bucky looked at her weirdly. 

“She was picked off by a shield agent 8 years ago” Bucky said 

“She’s dead?” Alina choked out

“Yeah? She was causing SHIELD major problems, kept trying to and succeeding in assassinating targets so they sent an Agent to pick her off” 

Alina felt a heavy weight on her chest. Despite understanding that this must be yet another reality, she still felt sick to the stomach at the news of Nat’s death. 

‘It isn’t real’ she repeatedly thought to herself. Except, it was real. This alternate reality still existed. Somewhere, Nat had died. Alone, without knowing her or her real family. Stark was out there somewhere, unaware of his potential, selling weapons to arms dealers. She shook her head to rid herself of the emotional cobwebs which were clouding her already full mind. 

“Did you know her?” Steve asked 

“It’s a weird story” she muttered, slipping off of the bench and onto her feet. 

“You look like your minds in the himalayas or something” Bucky joked at her absent look 

Her head snapped up as she stared at him. 

“Say that again” She said wagging her finger slightly 

He raised both hands in the air beside his head. 

“Woah woah woah it was just a joke” he said 

“No say it again” she said 

“Uhh.. you look like your mind’s in the himalayas…” 

“Tibet” she muttered to herself, finally making the connection. 

“Yeah, that’s where the Himalayas are…” Bucky said, looking in confusion to Steve

“No, I need to get to Tibet” she replied, attempting to side step around him. 

Bucky put his metal arm out, stopping her in her tracks. She looked up at him, her face not too far from his. 

“Look we just found you unconscious in an alleyway and now you’re going on about needing to go to Tibet? It sounds like the concussion is hitting you” 

“It’s a long story and you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Thanks for the help but I need to go” she replied firmly 

“We don’t even know you’re name?” Steve asked gently 

“It’s Alina”

“And, as far as we’re aware, you don’t have any money or any identification so how are you going to get on a flight to Tibet?” Steve continued 

She paused. He was right, she technically had no money, no home, no identification, no nothing. She didn’t exist in this universe. Or, maybe she did but either way she would get done for identity theft. 

“Stealing sorts out the money side of things and in New York? How hard could it be to get a fake passport done up” she replied coolly 

She was right, with the infinity stones and her knowledge of espionage, she could easily pull this off. Steve frowned at her.

“You keep saying we won’t believe you but how about you try tell us what’s happened before you do anything? We might be able to help?” 

She sighed and let her shoulders drop. She didn’t really need Cap and Bucky trying to take her into captivity on top of all this, so she relented and began to tell them how she had ended up unconscious in an alley.


	6. Brazil//Tibet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am truly freeballing here. Please yell at me if you hate it hahaha, if not then please enjoy!!!

The team were honing in on Manaus, one of the capitals of a state in Brazil. It was here they would have to find the information they needed to take them to Dr. Gordon. Hank only knew his thereabouts location and it seemed a large challenge presented them upon arrival. Not even SHIELD knew of the Doctor’s specific whereabouts. 

Upon arrival, they took to the streets. Dressed in more traditional clothing to attract less attention, they split into several groups. Natasha and Bucky were experts at finding information in foreign countries and so they took one route, disappearing off into the crowd quickly to find some people they thought they could extract the information from. 

Hank Pym took Clint and Steve with him to find an old friend who may be able to give them a more specific location to their missing Doctor. 

This left Thor, Loki and Strange. All 3 felt relatively useless in this respect. While Thor and Loki could easily understand the portuguese being spoken, they did not have a single clue where to be looking for such information. They instead found themselves on a wharf, talking to skippers. 

“We are looking for a scientist” Strange said, in perfect portuguese 

“There are many scientists” The man responded offhandedly. If he was not getting paid he did not care. 

This roundabout conversation continued with several other men on the wharf for nearly an hour to no avail. It was at the point where Strange was ready to hurl one of them off the docks when Widow came marching past them, chucking a bag of money at the skipper in front of them. 

“Take us to Ipixuna” she said in neat portuguese, Bucky on her tail. 

The man’s eyes widened and he began to shrug his shoulders and shake his head. It was a long, overnight trip. From over Nat’s shoulder, another bag of money was thrown, this time from Hank Pym. 

“What she said” he said in English, pointing to Nat. 

The man looked down at the two sacks of money in his hands. No doubt they had just made him rich. He began nodding earnestly, ushering them onto one of the nicer boats in the dock. 

“You weren’t completely useless boys, you found us a nice boat” Widow winked as she sashayed past Strange. 

He rolled his eyes at her back, and was comically mirrored by Loki. Thor however was laughing at Widow’s remark, well aware that they had been indeed entirely useless in this situation. Clapping his brother, and Strange on the back, he followed Nat onto the boat still chuckling to himself about their conundrum. 

With a glance and a shake of their heads, Strange and Loki followed and they were soon off on the murky water of the Amazon river.

// 

“So you’re from another reality is the basics here” Steve said once again,trying to wrap his head around the magnitude of the story Alina had just told them. 

“Cool” Bucky said, grinning from ear to ear. He loved the idea at least regardless of how true it was in his mind. It seemed high tech and fun. 

“And you need to go to Tibet to find an ancient mystic arts teacher who may be able to help you with this… Quantum Realm?” Steve continued, ignoring Bucky’s obvious excitement. 

“Yes. Now that I have explained this to you.. Can you just let me go?” she said, exasperated at the waste of time she had just spent explaining from start to finish the situation. 

“Not if you’re going to steal and commit identity theft” he frowned

“If I say I am not will you let me leave” she huffed 

“You’re going to anyway aren’t you” Bucky smirked 

She said nothing, not wanting to set Steve off again. 

“You cannot hold me here” she sighed to Steve

“Well actually -” He began

“I wanna come” Bucky interjected 

“What?” Alina and Steve said in unison 

“Yeah. I mean you’re going to go anyway and we haven’t been on a irrational adventure in ages. I can feel my old age kicking in” Bucky grinned jovially 

“Buck she could be leading us into a trap for all we know” Steve hushed 

“Isn’t than part of the fun? I mean cmon Steve that’s a pretty elaborate story for someone to make up on the spot and then ACTUALLY want to go to Tibet afterwards too” he replied 

“I guess” Steve pulled a hand through his hair 

“You’re Captain America! We fight for Justice!” Bucky continued with overly false brovado 

“Okay buck -” 

“We fight in the name of -” 

“OKAY BUCKY!” Steve cut him off, a hint of a laugh on his lips 

Turning to Alina, he spoke gently. 

“We’ll help you. But first, I need to check out a Quinjet” 

Less than half an hour later he had done just that. Alina looked around in the jet, admiring the familiarity. It was an older model than what she was used to but considering Tony Stark wasn’t involved here, that was no surprise. 

“That was easier than expected” she commented appreciatively 

“I have my ways” Steve commented from the pilots seat 

“Do not send us into the ice this time” Bucky smirked

Steve rolled his eyes at his friend and swiveled back to face the front. Pulling levers and checking pressure, he put the thrusters down and they took off, looping around the building before streaming off into the sky. 

It was a 16 hour plus flight, which luckily for them the jet was fitted with autopilot for. A good 6 hours into it, Alina felt comfortable enough with this Steve and Bucky to get some sleep. Given the people she had seen on the streets and gauging their personalities, she did not seem to be in some weird psycho-murder reality, which she had given a lot of thought to in the previous avengers reality. After all, any possibility was open realistically. As she slept on the wall length bench of the jet, Steve and Bucky fell into quiet conversation. 

“Do you really believe her?” Steve asked Bucky 

He glanced to Alina’s sleeping body. Even in her sleep, her face wore a troubled look. 

“I mean, yeah, I kind of do Steve. That’s not something to be making up unless you’re really crazy” 

“Maybe she is” 

“She doesn’t seem like it” 

“No…” 

“Steve she seems like she knows us” 

“Yeah I thought so too. When we found her she addressed me like a friend…” 

“She has no reason to lie. And she seems… Sad i guess?” 

“If what she says is true, then I can understand why Buck.” 

“You more than anyone I guess” Bucky laughed 

There was a long silence as they reminisce their past lives before Bucky spoke again. 

“Weird to think there’s like, another version of us out there somewhere” he laughed nervously 

“Yeah” Steve said, he wondered if there was a version of himself out there which had won the war and stayed with Peggy. A version where he hadn’t lost Bucky to HYDRA, a version where he wasn’t here. He suddenly understood very strongly why the sleeping woman was so sad and lost. 

“So what do we do when we get to Tibet?” Bucky raised the elephant in the plane

“I don’t know Bucky, I guess we just let her take the lead and hope she isn’t trying to get us killed” Steve laughed, standing up and stretching before wandering back to the pilot’s seat, leaving Bucky to ponder what other versions of himself might exist out there. 

// 

It was nearing midnight on their cruise down the Amazon and the group were taking turns sleeping. They didn’t entirely trust their skipper and Nat had warned of pirates which stalked the amazon, looking for tourist boats to pillage and hold hostage for ransom. The others suddenly understood the skippers hesitant nature when asked to take them on such a long trip down the river. It’s not exactly the best look for business if your passengers go missing. Loki, Clint and Nat were taking first watch together whilst Thor, Strange, Bucky, Steve and Pym slept. They were originally meant to be doing watches in pairs but Clint couldn’t sleep and had decided to join the other two. 

They sat at the front of the boat, their legs dangling ever so slightly over the front of it as it plowed through the waters. It was a clearer night than any of them were used to after such an extended period of time spent in New York with its extensive light pollution. Here in the Amazon, it was clear skies and stars as far as the eyes could see. Loki had taken to explaining different constellations to Nat and Clint. He told them why certain ones existed to the human race, he spoke of ancient stories that had been instilled into their history, he pointed out new constellations ones that they were not aware of and he pointed out stars of particular significance; telling them stories of their creation and use. Every now and again he would drop in anecdotes about Asgardian constellations. 

Nat and Clint listened intently, breaking his speech with a question every now and again. It was peaceful and the moonlight caused the ripples made by the boat to reflect and dance. It wasn’t cold either, Nat sat out in jeans and a singlet as the breeze was warm and the air hung heavy and humid around them. It was moments like these that often struck her and Clint as strange; to have Loki speak and act in such a way was still foreign even after a year. 

Loki was halfway through telling a story about Celestials and constellations when he paused slightly, his mind drifting to Alina. How strange that she had no knowledge of her heritage like this. It made him sad. This should be a moment where she was sat next to him, listening with intent as he told her about her heritage and their relationship with the stars. It felt wrong that she was not present for such a calming moment and it felt wrong to be appreciating it not knowing were she was or if she was okay. 

Nat and Clint shared a glance at Loki’s sudden, pondering look as he considered the stars above him. 

“Missing her?” Clint probed gently 

Loki never really spoke on his feelings for or his relationship with Alina. They had seen his feelings from very very early on however it was new to them as well, to see Loki care and hurt in such a way as he did over her. Even as he became part of the team, and after the engagement, he remained very reserved about it all. So did Alina. Their relationship had never really changed to their eyes. 

Loki glanced at him, his eyebrows raised in an expression of concern. 

“Very much so. This is her heritage after all” he replied, gesturing at the sky elegantly 

“We all miss her Loki. She’s part of the team” Nat pitched in gently 

“Nonetheless, we seem to do her misfortunes time and time again” Loki replied 

“Nah man it’s part of the job. We know that, she knows that. We all know that sometimes, with what we do, there’s a chance we’re not going to come home”

“Perhaps. I thought after… Thanos… there would be no more of this” Loki said, audibly pausing before forcing out the Titan’s name. 

“There’s always more” Nat muttered, quoting Fury 

“Maybe that is the explanation behind her timidness to marry me” Loki breathed out, watching the water curl around the boat

Both Nat and Clint glanced to their left to look at him. He was not so often this direct about his thoughts on matters. 

“You think she keeps postponing the wedding because of threats?” Clint asked 

“It seems like a reasonable assumption. After all, her initial eagerness disappeared very quickly as she became immersed in her work. There is the possibility that she feels it is not worth it” Loki shrugged a little 

“Nah man come on don’t think like that” Clint began 

“He could be right” Nat said 

Both men looked to her, as she sat in between them and she opened her mouth, her features slightly defensive. 

“What?! I mean it’s not too far off the beaten track for a theory and you of all people should understand Clint! How many times did you put off marrying Laura?” 

“23…” Clint muttered

Loki raised an eyebrow at him apathetically. 

“You say you loved this mortal woman yet you would not marry her 23 times?” He asked somewhat incredulously 

“It was hard man. I wanted to, believe me. But every time I went on a mission, and I didn’t see her for 2 months, or every time I got briefed on a new enhanced, or every time I nearly died or watched someone else die I just thought, is this the life she wants? I knew I couldn’t be a full time husband, a stay at home dad who had a stable job. I didn’t know if I could provide what she needed and wanted. Little did I really understand all she wanted and needed was me, none of that other bullshit that I thought she thought was important” he explained 

“You mean Alina perhaps fears that I would be unhappy if we were to be married? That she would not fulfill my expectations?” Loki asked 

“Those expectations are pretty large” Nat replied 

Loki looked at the pair curiously. 

“I mean like you’re a prince and a God dude. Your parents are scary as hell and who knows what sort of official royal rules there are to being married to a prince, let alone on Asgard. And that’s just the half of it - she’s got her work and her missions which I seriously doubt she’d want to stop doing. There’s the expectation that when ya get married you kind of leave all the danger and stuff behind. Why do you think everyone but me isn’t married?” Clint added 

Loki considered this before speaking. 

“She superseeds me in every way. She is a Queen, a Goddess, and a Celestial to name just a few” 

“Yeah but she grew up a mortal Loki. It’s not like she’s been raised as some self righteous battle angel from the God’s. She’s been through some shit. Even now I don’t think she often thinks about any of that bullshit” Nat replied 

Loki realised he had not particularly considered this. To him, she was more than anyone and anything. She was a Queen, a Goddess, a Celestial. He often forget that this must not cross her mind at all and realised the implications of the expectations she may of felt due to his life and Asgard. 

“She has been postponing this wedding” he sighed in realisation 

“Yeah dude because she’s and trained operative and scientist. She’s probably worried she’ll have that stripped if you two marry or that you’ll be unhappy” 

“I would never be unhappy to have her by my side” Loki added pointedly

“No point telling us that” Nat nodded, not one for the sentiment. 

With that, footsteps sounded behind them and Bucky, Steve and Strange appeared ready to take over the second part of the watch. 

As the 3 walked down the boat to get some sleep, Bucky’s voice sounded out after them. 

“Sleep Tight and don’t let those giant amazonian wasps bite” 

// 

Arriving in Tibet was the easy part. They hid the jet in a forest just outside of Lhasa and edged their way into the city. Donning traditional shawls to not draw attention, they weaved their way through the bustling streams of people that filtered around the outer edges of the city.   
If their business there wasn’t so confusing and worrying, they would instead be taking the time to appreciate the city’s remote beauty. Built into the side of the many precipes and cliff faces, it contained inclines which had caused the designers and builders of the houses to be increasingly creative. There was a natural, traditional vibe to the city which, while busy, promoted a calm and welcoming feeling among them. 

Coming to a stop on either side of her, Bucky finally spoke up. 

“So uhhhhhh how do we find this master?” 

Alina glanced at him. In all honesty, this was as far as she had got with the planning of things. Strange, whilst giving a weird amount of unspecific detail, had not been very clear about what he had done to find this master - except getting beaten up by a street gang apparently which she still found questionable to be the truth. 

“You know this is as far as my plan goes. I wasn’t expecting you guys to tag along so I was just gonna figure it out for myself to be honest” she replied half heartedly 

“Well now there’s two more of us to figure stuff out” Steve said, looking around him at the crowd of people

“Guess we could start by asking?” Bucky said. 

Taking a few steps forward, he stopped a man who was carrying a woven basket full of clothing. 

“Excuse me sir, we are looking for an master of the mystic arts” he executed in perfect tibetan

The man looked confused and instead scurried off. 

“You speak tibetan?” Steve asked 

“HYDRA required me to fit in in many places” Bucky nodded 

Steve let this pass and instead turned to Alina. 

“Do we have a place name for this at least?” he queried, since asking for a magic teacher clearly was not helping them. 

She paused for a moment. 

 

“Kamar-Taj…” she replied after some thought 

Using this, Bucky tried again. The first few people he attempted this on, ended in confusion and got them no further than before. But one woman seemed to recognise his wild statements and tugged his sleeve. 

He turned to her expectantly. 

“Kamar Taj?” She asked, gesturing outwards 

He nodded. 

“That way” she said pointing to a street which lead up an incline in the hill and into more buildings. 

He thanked her and gestured to Alina and Steve with a shrug and a grin and they set off down the street. 

Despite the lady’s vague pointing instructions, nightfall was beginning to creep up on them and they had no luck finding their destination. This lead Bucky to take charge, being the only one of them who spoke Tibetan, and convince a local house owner to allow them to use his bottom floor barn for the night. 

“This feels very Virgin Mary” Alina smiled at Bucky, leaning against a bale of hay. She wasn’t complaining. They were safe and warm for the night and the owners wife had made them all a sort of goat curry which was surprisingly delicious. 

“Oh please don’t tell me you’re pregnant and you’re really trying to find your baby daddy” Bucky laughed 

“Would it be more believable if that was the truth?” She laughed back

“I think I’d prefer to believe your reality jumping story than that” Steve pitched in, chewing on a piece of bread. 

She smiled at him. Some things never changed with Steve. 

“So we got nowhere today” Bucky continued

“Yeah I somehow thought this would be much easier than it is. I mean how do you hide a Mystic Arts school in Tibet?!” Alina teased 

“Considering they’re magicians, I am gonna say pretty easily” Bucky replied, throwing a piece of straw at her

“I definitely overlooked that” she sighed, the whole experience was overwhelming even still and, as much as she refused to ever admit it, she did think she had gained a concussion when she landed in that alleyway a few days back. She didn’t have a PhD not to notice that, after all. 

Bucky and Steve laughed at her before the mood turned more somber. 

“So… what are we like, in your reality?” Bucky asked curiously 

She glanced up at him at this.

“Very much the same as you are here but you’re part of the Avengers” she smiled 

“The Avengers initiative? That old thing got scrapped years ago” Steve said in surprise 

Alina smiled sadly. What a strange thing to think the Avengers did not exist here. 

“In my reality it succeeded. And expanded. And you were both part of it along with Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton and this demigod named Thor” 

“Tony Stark the weapons dealer?” Steve laughed 

Alina let her shoulders fall a little as a sad feeling washed over her. 

“He chose a different path, where I am from” she replied 

“What a strange thought” Bucky pitched in 

“Do you miss it?” Steve asked 

Before she could answer, Bucky put his two cents in. 

“More like do ya miss us?” he grinned   
“I do miss it, and you guys. It’s strange, to have you here but kind of not all at the same time. I just want to go home” 

Steve felt for the woman. He too understood the feeling of wanting the comfort of the familiarity and people who he knew and in return, knew him. 

“We’ll get you back. You deserve your family” he said quietly 

“You should talk to Stark one day Steve. You never know, he might listen” She replied, yawning as she rested her head against a bale of hay. 

He considered her statement with a small laugh. However, as they all drifted off to sleep it stayed at the front of his mind. What was, What is, and what could be.


	7. Astral

As daylight found them, they found their destination. In the distance, establishments sat slightly back from the mouth of the river. They looked hastily made, and were reminiscent of the isolation this town experienced. Only accessible by river boat, it was surrounded by dense forests and other waterways which cut it off from mainland access. As they approached, the team stood on the front of the boat watching the tiny houses grow larger. 

“Welcome to Ipixuna boys” Nat said as she hopped lithly down from the boat onto the makeshift dock in front of them. 

“Looks like somewhere Banner would take a holiday” Bucky muttered, following Nat carefully 

The others trailed after them and the boat disappeared back down the river, growing smaller and smaller until it blended into the tree line which encompassed everything around here. 

“Population of 17,000. Not tiny but not big either” She continued 

“Someone’s done their research” Steve commented 

To his side, Hank looked around from under his wide brimmed hat. He looked like he should be a professor out of Indiana Jones; something that Steve was now very familiar with thanks to Tony. 

“Where do we start looking?” Thor asked 

Nat glanced to him with a closed lip smile. 

“We aren’t going to look, he’s going to come to us. Trust me, I’ve gotten Banner with this one - How much harder can it be?”   
//

Brushing the hay out of their hair, the trio rose and stretched. They had attained a surprisingly good sleep overnight with the hay bales providing both warmth and comfort. Thanking the owner and his wife, they quietly slipped back out onto the street to continue their search. 

It was as they had journeyed down an alley, which turned out to be a dead end, that they had realised they had been followed. A group of men in their early 20’s blocked off their exit, leering and jeering. Inwardly, Alina rolled her eyes. Did they not see the size of Steve? 

“We do not want trouble” Bucky said in their language

This caused sniggers of laughter and further jeering which Alina could only imagine were insults. Many of which seemed to be addressed at her. 

“Cmon now I suggest you just don’t” Steve said, disregarding the fact they likely didn’t understand a word out of his mouth 

The group began to advance on the trio and Alina stepped out from behind Bucky. Steve glanced down at her and put his hand out to prevent her taking lead. She raised an eyebrow in return. 

“Trust me Steve a bunch of 20 something tough guys aren’t going to even scratch me” 

It was as the men were not a few metres from them that another figure appeared at the alleyway entrance. 

“Stop” he said calmly in Tibetan

The men ignored him, advancing on Alina who Steve and Bucky watched nervously. 

As the first man went to grab her hair she neatly caught his wrist, twisting it until his body turned the opposite way. She put a foot forcefully into his back, dislocating the shoulder and snapping his forearm from the elbow. Moving swiftly, she turned her back into the next man, throwing her elbow in this face and using the movement to throw him over her shoulder and onto the ground, winding him heavily. 

With a neat flip, she twisted her legs around one man’s neck, sending him straight to the poorly cobbled ground of the alleyway, finishing him with a single punch to the head. Seeing this to be a losing battle, the remaining two turned and began to run back towards the entry of the alleyway only to be met by the mystery man who was dressed in dark robes and stood calmly. As they approached, they attempted to side step him. This did not work as they had hoped and instead they were left on the ground in seconds. 

The mystery man stood, in shadows for a moment before nodding and turning to walk away. Alina broke into a sprint after him, reaching the mouth of the alleyway to see his cloak disappearing into the crowds. She pushed through the abundance of people, knocking over stands and people’s baskets. He walked briskly ahead of her, back up the hill. 

Eventually, she caught him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Her face was streaked with dust and dirt and her hair, which was back in a messy ponytail, had become ever messier. Her black tanktop and black combat pants also showed signs of the dirt and dust that came from the fight. 

She was surprised to recognise the face she saw. It was Wong. She remembered the first time she met him, when Strange had unceremoniously kidnapped her and he had appeared from nowhere at the top of the staircase in the New York Sanctum. 

“Wong?” she said incredulously 

He too returned to questioning look at the use of his name in recognition. 

“I need your help. To find the Kamar-Taj, please” she said, out of breath from her run and tired from the exhaustion of the tasks before her. 

“I do not know what you speak of girl” he lied fluidly 

She let out a huff of breath and pulled a stray piece of hair out from over her eyes before continuing. 

“Yes you do. You’re a protector of the sanctums and a mystic arts wielder and I need your masters help, please at least let me explain myself” she said in earnest 

As he considered her reply, she briefly thought about her situation. What if the Kamar-Taj did not exist in this universe? She was betting on the fact it did since her fall back was finding Banner and she had no clue what state he’d be in. 

“Hm… You have knowledge only privy to a few. Were did you get it?” he asked, eyeing her up. 

Behind her, Steve and Bucky had finally caught up, weaving their way through the crowds of people and positioning themselves behind her. 

“We came all the way to goddamn Himalaya’s, at least give her a chance” Bucky offered 

He looked the two men up and down. They were a rag tag group for sure. A girl, covered in dust and dirt, a man with messy hair and what looked to be a metal arm, and a tall yet slightly dirty man with unshaven stubble which was bordering on a beard. Considering their genuine intentions and the woman’s strange knowledge of the mystic arts, Wong conceded. 

“Follow me” he grunted, gesturing to the trio as he turned and began to continue his walk up the hill. His robes fluttered slightly in the light breeze that was coming off the mountain, which was welcome on such a sunny day.

Alina shared a glance of apprehension between the two men before following Wong on his uphill battle, determined not to lose him in the crowds of locals. It was a quiet walk, as she followed a few steps behind him at all times like a shadow. Not wanting to spark conversation, Bucky and Cap followed slightly behind her, making for a strange line of rag tag followers. Eventually, they reached a building, just like any other building in the town. Wong approached the wooden door which was built into the old, fading red bricks of the front facing wall. 

Looking back at them he sighed, inserted a key and then opened the door. They stood for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Wong noticed this and, holding the door open, beckoned them inside. 

As the door snapped shut behind them they saw a large foyer form out of the initial darkness. It was quaint and antique but nothing out of the expected from the traditional style of decoration here. Wong brushed past the admiring trio and began to walk up some stairs. As they followed and proceeded down the corridors, a number of other men dressed similarly to Wong moved past. Sometimes in groups, sometimes alone but they always nodded as they passed, before giving a fleeting look of curiosity at the trio which followed. 

Before long they were presented with an open plan room. It contained low standing tables which were occupied by a few monks at a time. Their robes were dove grey with cerulean blue trimming and they glanced up from their readings as the group entered. As Alina, Bucky and Steve looked around, these monks rose gracefully from their seats and began to exit the room. 

This left a woman in front of them. She was bald and dressed in stiff white robes. As the last monk left, she spoke out. 

“Thank you, master Kamir” her voice echoed 

The group turned to look at the monk who nodded, before gently exiting the room. The group then turned their attention back to her. 

“Hello” Alina began tentatively, Strange had told her few stories of his master. She was unsure of this woman’s knowledge or vastness and could not afford to be offending her. 

“Alina Everton. You have made great travels to be here” The Ancient One spoked out 

Alina’s eyes narrowed. Finally someone who knew who she was. Unfortunately, it was none of the people she had hoped to recognise her. This was progress at least, she thought absently to herself as she surveyed the situation. 

“Yes. Tibet is quite out of the way” she commented ariely

“And not just your journey to Tibet, it seems” she replied 

Alina tilted her head ever so slightly at this. Could she know?

“You’re aware of my predicament?” Alina asked cautiously 

“Oh, quite so. It’s not often one slips through realities and isn’t obliterate by the sheer power of it all” 

“I wish I could understand that myself” 

“I assume that’s why you have come to me” 

“Yes… In my reality, you have a student who looks after the New York Sanctum. He told me stories of you. It occurred to me that perhaps, you could help me” 

 

The Ancient One regarded her for a moment with what bordered on amusement. 

“You are just as powerful as I, young one. You conceale it but I know of the powers you hide” she commented

Alina shook her head slightly. So she knew about the Infinity stones. 

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Power does not equal knowledge and you seem to possess knowledge that I do not” 

The Ancient One pursed her lips, pleased with the girl’s answer. 

“While I cannot reposition you to your original reality, I perhaps am able to aid you in sending a message to there. Are you familiar with the Astral form, Ms Everton?” 

//

They were sat in an old dilapidated house on the edge of the town. It sat up against the treeline which stretched out into the amazon. The only thing that separated this was a slow moving river which joined out onto the Amazon further down. If it wasn’t so creepy, it might’ve been peaceful. 

Dusk was falling and it slowly began to get darker. As they waited, they heard the patter of little feet approaching from the dirt path outside. Standing ready in the shadows, the girl entered the room, ran through it and then jumped out what was a kitchen window, taking off into the long grass with her money in hand. In the doorway, stood a man. He was older, perhaps early 60s, with what looked to be some asian decent in his face. His jet black hair was greying at the roots and he sported similar flecks of grey in his eyebrows. His attire was plain, with a loose navy shirt and black pants and in his hand he held what looked to be some sort of toolkit. He sighed heavily, realising the girl had disappeared. 

“Dr. Gordon” Widow spoke, stepping out of the shadows, followed by the rest of the group. 

The man’s eyes fell to Hank Pym and he looked at them in a manner that could only be described as pained. 

“Please, call me Allen” He said, closing the wonky wooden door behind him and setting his toolbox down on what they could only assume was meant to be a dining room table. 

“Good doctor, we seek your help” Thor said, bowing his head slightly 

He considered this momentarily before allowing his eyes to scope over the rest of the group. 

“How did you find me here?” 

“We have our ways” Nat replied smoothly, watching him with a careful look 

He seemed to sigh at this. 

“What have you done Hank?” He asked, with exasperation 

Pym seemed to appear bashful at this, scratching his head carefully and thinking about his words. 

“We got into the Quantum Realm, Allen. I got Janet back” 

The doctor’s eyes widened at this as he took in the statement. 

“You made the breakthrough” 

“No, you did. I just went through with it” Hank continued 

Doctor Gordon shook his head as he looked away. 

“So why then are you here?” 

“Because, we need to get back into it but we cannot. I feel that you would be able to figure out what we are missing” 

“Why do you need to re-access it Pym? It is a Pandora’s box that should be left alone”

There was a long pause which was only filled by the buzzing of mosquitos around the single lightbulb illuminating the room. 

“Because, we’ve lost someone in there” Steve said 

//

“Yes I am aware of the concept of an astral plane” Alina said carefully 

“Well then there is a chance that, if i were to put you in your astral form, you would indeed be able to access your original realm, since this is where your form belongs. However, it is not permanent and will not last long” 

“Better than nothing” she shrugged in response 

“Sometimes that is not always the case, dear” Ancient One responded 

Alina smiled slightly. Everyone had to remain so ambiguous when it came to sorcery. She was yet to meet a sorcerer who wasn’t so. 

“So how do -” suddenly she was cut off as the woman’s palm pushed into her chest, she felt herself fall backwards before becoming weightless. Looking down, she saw her physical form, unconscious in Bucky’s arms. 

“Go” The Ancient One mouthed

There was yet another flash and she felt her weightless body being dragged backwards. Suddenly she was floating in space, a butterfly passing her gracefully. She watched it with intent before realising her mission. With another pulling motion, she found herself surrounded by red, reflective light and mirrors. Trying to focus on Loki, she once again was pulled downwards in a falling motion before she landed, floating in what seemed to be some sort of shack. She was in an empty room and as she looked down at her hands, realised she was still in her Astral form. She could hear voices from the room over and tried the handle, only to realise she was not physically attached to this reality. 

Instead she floated through the wall and was relieved to see what was in front of her. There was a single table with a single light bulb hanging above it. On one side stood Cap, Thor, Bucky, Strange, Clint, Hank and Loki with Nat in front of them and on the other stood an older man who she did not recognise. They did not look up as she entered and she realised that they could not see her form. Thinking quick, she tapped into what she had remember Strange had once told her about tying her body to a physicality in the astral form. She felt a flicker and the entire room looked up. 

“Alina!?” Loki gasped

“Loki!” she replied 

The group was shocked. She stood in front of them but she flickered like a picture on a failing TV.

“How?” Hank asked, immediately approaching her

He placed a hand out to touch her but instead it fell straight through her. Loki felt his heart sink. 

“You’re in your astral form” Strange commented, this was not something she had previously demonstrated the ability to do, nor something he had ever taught her. 

“It’s a long story and I don’t have much time” she said with urgency, feeling the pressure of being there already. 

“This is the woman we were telling you about”” Hank said, nodding to the Doctor. Alina glanced at him briefly. Who even was he. 

“What happened? I was waiting for you guys to pull me out and you never did!” she said quickly 

“Something broke. We don’t know what but it cut off power to the vortex to the realm and we haven’t been able to get it going again. We’re working on it” Hank replied, still studying her flickering figure

“I’m not in the Quantum Realm anymore” Alina replied 

The faces of the room were ones of shock and confusion. She decided not to wait for questions.

“I got sucked into this thing and spat out in a different reality. There were some of you there and some… different avengers as well. One’s that don’t exist in this reality and even you guys were …. Different… I got imprisoned for a while there and then a lab experiment went wrong and when I woke up I was in New York, unconscious in an alleyway with Bucky and Steve shaking me. Another, different reality, this is where I currently am. The Avengers don’t exist here. Stark never became Iron Man, Nat’s dead and god knows where anyone else is.” she speeled out quickly 

“How are you here then?” Clint asked 

“I remembered what Strange had told me about the Ancient One and how she could connect to different realms. Myself, and this realities bucky and Steve went to Tibet to look for her. That’s how I am talking to you right now” 

“How cool are we in other realities?” Clint asked with a grin

Nat slapped his shoulder, hard. 

“Loki’s really mean. At least in the first one” Alina commented, flicking her eyes to Loki who was staring at her, his own eyes wide with concern. 

“Did I hurt you?” He half growled 

“Sorta. You’re really mean out here aye” she smiled a little as he approached her. He gently tried to cup her cheek, out of habit, only to have his hand fall through her astral form. 

“Miss Everton, it is paramount you return back to the Quantum Realm” Dr Gordon said urgently 

Alina looked at him questioningly. 

“We cannot rescue you if you are in other realms. You MUST be in the Quantum Realm for us to do so!” he continued 

“I am trying but I seem to have very little control over anything. Sometimes I end up back there, but not before I get spat into another reality”

“Hang tight kid” Steve smiled 

She turned to Loki with a small, sad smile. It was nice to see him again, the real him that is. 

“Loki, I love-” her figure flickered before disappearing completely. 

Loki stared at the airspace which she had once occupied, his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes wide. 

“Damnit” Bucky said 

“Well, I never thought I would be saying this Hank but, where's your lab?” Doctor Gordon remarked, his interest in this remarkable experience had peaked greatly and it seemed it was time to revisit the Quantum Realm.


	8. A meeting of realities

Alina watched the scene fade as she fell back through space and time. She felt her astral form being sent flying backwards and with a forceful thud, she landed back in her own body, looking up at Bucky, who was still holding her. 

At least now she had answers

“So you found your answers, young sorcerer?” The Ancient One smiled 

“Some of them, yes. In theory, could that be done again?” she asked 

The Ancient One considered her with the same eerie smile. 

“Indeed. But it takes a lot of strength and discipline. I cannot send you at will” 

“If I learned to project my own Astral form, would I be able to link myself to my original reality without your own sorcery involved?” 

She tilted her head at the woman at this statement. 

“Perhaps. But you would have to learn the ways of the Kamar-Taj and the sorcery of the masters. Even so, projecting one’s own astral form comes with it’s own threats and you would be required to learn the discipline to tie your spirit to your own reality, without losing focus” 

“What threats are those?” she asked carefully 

“If you die in your Astral Form, so does you physical body. And if you lack the discipline to return to your body from your original reality, you could become trapped, falling through time and space forever in your astral projection” 

“That doesn’t sound pleasant” Bucky commented 

“It is not” The Ancient One smiled 

“Tea?” she continued, as a man in robes offered them cups of the hot drink. 

Taking the cup in her hands, Alina looked to the Ancient One, who was still regarding her with the same, somewhat creepy smile. 

“Will you teach me?” she asked 

“Of course, young sorcerer. Your room is already set up for you” 

// 

They were on the quinjet headed back to New York, this time with Doctor Gordon onboard. The other’s noticed Loki had been brooding particularly on the way back from Ipixuna and his sullen mood reflected on the heavy nature of the topics.

He had much to think about after all. There was now the possibility that Alina would be trapped, jumping in and out of realities. They did not even know if she was able to contact them again, considering her random appearance and unexplained disappearance mid sentence. He wondered also about what she had said. Clearly, she had met another him in another reality which seemed to be less than pleasant to her. He worried that perhaps, she would lose her feelings for him if she continued to deal with versions of him which were less than favourable. This situation brought a whole new meaning to “anything could happen” as he quickly realised they had no control over anything about the situation. Quite literally, any possibility was open here. 

Doctor Gordon, who was not familiar with Loki, decided to poke that bear. He was well intentioned, a kind man who very much saw the raven haired man’s worries for the woman that they had lost to the Quantum Realm. He understood more than anyone after all, that the possibilities were not pleasant. He sat down next to Loki, who was sat against the wall of the quinjet, leant forward with his forearms of his thighs and his hands loosely clasped, which he was staring at intently. His hands, which had come so close to touching Alina yet somehow, that made it all for the worse. 

“The Quantum Realm is filled with many intricacies. She is a capable woman, to find a way to message back to you all, through the issues it presents” he said gently

Loki glanced up from his hands and looked sideways at the man. Thor recognised the look on his face. It was one of a younger, more concerned Loki. It almost mirrored the look he had given him when he had told him he was going to invade Jotunheim all those fateful years ago. 

“Capability seems to mean very little here” he replied in a soft tone. It was not one he usually used and caused the other’s to listen in, despite pretending otherwise. 

“It means more than you’d ever know. There’s a reason Hank sought me out above anyone else. There are several others who are well equipped to dabble in the Quantum Realm” 

Loki furrowed his eyebrows and gave him a look which urged him to continue.

“When research was just starting out on this, in secret albeit, I was the first to access the Quantum Realm. The first to enter it, before Pym and Janet ever did but I screwed up. My daughter, who was only 14 at the time had been hassling me non stop to come see the lab. I figured why not, she was in a protective glass room when we opened the realm for a second time but we were unaware of it’s inconsistent nature. This time it was more powerful, it shattered the glass with no effort”   
“What happened?” Loki frowned slightly

“She was sucked in. I spent years searching for her, I explored the Quantum Realm many times looking for her, created tracers to pinpoint her energy to no avail.” 

“Did you ever see her again?” 

“Yes. One day, I found her. 15 years later to be exact. She was nearly 30 now and had been floating in the Quantum Realm - phasing in and out of realities just like Miss Everton” 

“But you got her back?” Strange cut in, snappily 

“Yes” 

“Where is she now?” Loki asked

“She committed suicide upon re-entering our reality. I guess, after so long spent in hundreds of other realities, her mind gave out. She couldn’t differentiate people from their behaviours in other realities and one day, she decided she did not want to live like that any longer. The Quantum Realm stole her childhood and her mind and she paid with her life”

Strange immediately wore a reproachful look at his previous snappiness with the doctor. Loki’s eyebrows raised in horror and regret and asking the man any questions. 

“I’m sorry, Doctor Gordon” Steve said gently, his features also conveying a sombre look to them. 

“I did not ever want to dabble in the Quantum Realm again. It took my child from me and it was my own fault. But I will not allow the same thing to happen to your friend” he replied

“Why did it take you so long to find her?” Clint pressed in a fatherly voice, he couldn’t imagine losing one of his own children like that. 

“She kept switching in between realities. She didn’t really have any way to control it and so it was not until she was back in the Quantum Realm permanently could I find her and bring her out” 

“And that’s why we wouldn’t be able to find Alina?” Bucky asked 

“Exactly. Presuming I can get your Quantum vortex working first, which is your main issue right now but after that she has to find a way to tie herself into the Quantum Realm again or else a working vortex is useless to us” 

“How do we tell her that?” Loki asked, worried 

“She seemed to get the general consensus earlier” Hank commented   
“Indeed. But we cannot know for sure. It is truly up to her to find a way back to the realm, or perhaps like my daughter it will happen per chance” 

“We cannot take that risk” Loki said firmly, but gently 

This only gave him more to worry about. What if Alina could not tie herself back into the Quantum Realm? What if she took 15 years to figure it out, like the Doctor’s daughter? What if, when she found her way back, she too had her mind destroyed by the possibilities of everything? The thoughts chewed away in his mind as he returned to staring at his hands in anguish. 

“Loki, she has the Infinity Stones” Thor said from the opposite side of the jet, noticing Loki’s obvious concern after Gordon’s story. 

“They do not protect her from insanity, brother” 

“She has a strong mind. I doubt she will be affected so” 

 

“How can we know? There is every possibility of every conceivable reality which she has the potential to fall into. She could be in a reality where we all try to kill her, she could be in a reality where we all are dead, she could be in a reality where she has to experience Thanos all over again and we are not there to help her” 

“Brother…” Thor trailed off

“Surely at least the power stone and mind stone would allow her to be more resilient to mental attacks like that?” Nat asked from the copilots seat

“Yes, marginally but this is a waiting game. Every second the clock ticks is a second closer to losing her”

// 

Her room was surprisingly nice, all things considered of the place. And they had wifi, which would’ve been useful had she had any actual possessions. She figured she would nick a laptop later.

Steve and Bucky had left, claiming they had SHIELD business in China and would come back as soon as they had finished. Alina didn’t mind their absence. In total honesty with herself, she preferred to be around the alternate avengers as little as possible. She didn’t particularly want to know their dark secrets or the realities of this different world. She feared it would harm her in the long run. Already this showed in what she called Reality number 1, and again in this reality when she learned of Nat’s death. She couldn’t afford to be emotionally compromised. 

It had however been nice to see her Loki, even if it had been for a fleeting moment. It was also nice to know they were working on a plan but had realised very quickly that she needed to find a way back to the Quantum Realm, permanently. She hoped that understanding the astral plane better might help her with this or at least better her understanding of what was going on, since she had very little other options until she came up with a plan. 

That morning she woke up and donned fresh clothes. Which, while was a pleasant feeling, was a little disconcerting considering she had never given them her size or anything and they seemed to appear from thin air.

The outfit she wore truly blended in with the setting in Kamar Taj. The undershirt was brown and long sleeved, with the sleeves ending in green and brown strapped crosses around her forearm and wrists and around her thumb to give a glove look. Over this was a fitted, dark green tunic which crossed over at the waist, with each side travelling adjacently down to her mid thighs. It was held in place by a thick leather waist band which was adorned with woven leather tassels. To complete this was baggy black pants underneath which tucked neatly into shin high leather boots. It was both warm, and airy at the same time and allowed her to move freely and gracefully in her movements. 

Tying her hair up in a messy ponytail, she noticed it also was adorned with a green and black hood which, if desired, would hang over her forehead. It was a very formidable look and she couldn’t help but laugh to herself, thinking of Assassin's Creed.

She had not really been given much of a schedule or a map of the place so her first hour was spent wandering the corridors and halls. She was barely glanced at, her outfit looking the part. Eventually she found a stone courtyard that looked out over the mountains in the Himalayas. It had a tree in the middle which hung lazily over the group of people that were training and swayed every so often with the breeze travelling over the mountains. 

Recognizing Wong training with a man, she jumped over the balcony barrier and landed gracefully in the courtyard below. Wong noticed this and stopped training to look at her. The dark skinned man he had been training with also stopped and regarded her with interest. 

As she approached, Wong introduced him. 

“Miss Everton, this is Master Mordo” 

“A pleasure, I am Alina” 

“And to you” he smiled, returning the sincerity 

“So the Ancient One has agreed to teach you” Wong said to her 

A slightly stronger gust of wind ruffled her already messy ponytail as she nodded. 

“Yes, except she gave me no indication of where, when or how” 

“Well, Miss Everton, if Master Wong concedes, why don’t I teach you some of our methods of combat” 

Wong nodded, stepping back and using his arm to give a sweeping gesture which indicated Alina to step forward. She did so, curiously and stood in position ready to be attacked. Mordo activated the magic runes around his hands that she was so familiar with associating to Dr Strange. 

A dance ensued of attacks and dodges. At one point as Mordo threw a rune disk at her Alina ducked limbo style and slid forward, managing to land a powerful blast of magic into his chest as she stood, using the same sorcery Strange had taught her. It sent him flying backwards past the tree and as he stood up, he formed a golden whip in his hand that fizzed and cracked loudly. With a swift movement, he flicked it at her. With an almost gentle movement, in contrast to the preceding fight, Alina caught the whip in her hand and twisted it, causing it’s very essence to shatter into fractals of light.

Panting, she calmly waited as Mordo stood himself upright. She had been careful not to use any of the stones, and only the magic Strange had taught her. She had no idea of what dangers could arise and she was well aware of the possibility of another Thanos situation occurring since there was no way to tell he was dead in this universe. 

“Impressive! It seems you already have a firm grasp of basic magic!” Mordo said in a humble tone 

Alina nodded and smiled slightly in recognition of his compliment. Strange had not taught her a great deal but he had taught her enough to get by happily without touching the infinity stones. Altering reality and functioning in the Astral plane was something he had never endeavoured to teach her unfortunately. 

From the stone balcony above, the Ancient One watched and smiled down on the group the same ‘all - knowing’ smile she always seemed to have. Alina looked up at her and tilted her head, as if to question what her next move should be. The Ancient One instead turned and began to glide back inside. 

“That’s your queue to follow” Mordo nodded from over her shoulder

“Right” she said, making haste after the woman 

Entering the same open plan room she had the day before with Steve and Bucky, she slowed her pace. At one end of the room stood the ancient one, her back to her. She stood at the other end of the room, respectfully not approaching any further until she was spoken to. Her military training had taught her that much. 

“Your basic knowledge of the mystic arts is very well taught” the woman commented, turning around to speak

“I was taught well” 

“To an extent yes. I fear your tutor did not teach you much further than this?” she asked in a questioning tone that indicated she was well aware of the answer

Alina shook her head, her mind flicking back to Strange and cursing his repeated laziness in teaching her anything of the mystic arts after Thanos had been dealt with. Tony had all but banned it, saying he didn’t need her getting into some weird magic fight and to take a few months of now that there was no immediate threat. 

“Well, you are well taught but your intellect of the subject will take you no further” 

“No?”

“No. Tell me do you beat a river into submission? No, you must surrender to it and use it’s power as your own” 

“I have already given everything I have” 

“It is not about YOU. You must learn to surrender. Thoughts shape reality, miss Everton. This universe, as you have learned, is only one in an infinite number of possibilities. Some benevolent, others filled with malice. All existing” 

“And I need to…?” 

“Not all things can be learned by reading a book or gaining a PhD. Stubbornness does not make a good master, flexibility does.” 

“I gained my PhD to help others” 

“No, you gained it to help yourself. In a world which you were lost and running. Now, it is time to surrender to your possibilities” 

Alina fell silent at the weight of the conversation. 

“Good. Now sit and allow yourself to surrender” the Ancient One continued, gesturing to a cushion on the ground. 

Alina folded into it, sitting cross legged with her hands on her knees. The Ancient One did the same a few metres opposite of her. 

“It is time you learned the full potential of the mystic arts”


	9. Surrender

As she sat on the floor, Ancient One began to bend reality around her. The walls started bending in on themselves, collapsing and doubling. At first, her immediate reaction was to be alarmed. After all, the walls were falling in around her. Remembering what she had been told however, she did her best not to flinch and sat still, observing around her. 

“You are now inside the mirror dimension, ever present but undetected. The real world isn't affected by what happens here. We use the mirror dimension to train, surveil, and sometimes to contain threats. You don't want to be stuck inside here without your Sling Ring."

“Without a what?” Alina asked 

The Ancient One nodded down at her hand to notice a delicate gold band stretched across two of her fingers. She admired it quietly before giving the Ancient One a questioning look. 

“However, your possession of the Reality stone indicates that you perhaps do not need such an object” 

Alina nodded 

With a whoosh, the room returned to its normal state. 

“Now you” she nodded to Alina 

“I have no idea how to even begin about doing that” she commented 

“You do not have to” 

Alina looked at the sorcerer quizzically before deciding arguing would only prolong the teaching progress. Instead she focussed on the room around her, as Strange had taught her in the early days of meditation. She made an effort to feel each particle and atom around her whilst simultaneously disregarding their existence. It was if there was a snap in her mind as one of the walls to her side shattered into a million fractals, bending inwards on itself. Raising her hand slightly with a flick, the adjacent wall also began to shatter until the whole room was moving in different directions. 

Quickly, she flicked her wrist once more and the room began bending over itself again and again. With a snap, the Ancient One ended their time in the mirror dimension, bringing them back to the cushions on which they sat in the Kamar Taj. 

She nodded, her eyes tightening the smallest bit as she considered Alina who sat in almost a shy manner in front of her. 

“Your arrogance is preventing you from progress” she noted 

Alina’s head snapped up. 

“I did that perfectly” she replied 

“Exactly” 

// 

They had arrived back in New York with Doctor Gordon who looked around Tony’s facilities appreciatively. 

“Civilization lost itself on me” he smiled 

“Anything you need doc it’s yours” Tony replied, flicking the hologram pad in his hands 

“Let’s take a look at the thing first shall we?” 

 

Escorting him to the bottom floor lab that Tony had cleared purely for Quantum Research, they began to feel slightly less apprehensive. Upon arriving back, Strange had explained Alina’s appearance in Astral form which had caught Tony’s interest greatly. 

“Oh hank” Dr Gordon said upon seeing Hank’s Quantum machine

“Consensus?” Bruce asked, aware of the professor and his work in several fields of science. 

“Well, I can see why she isn’t working” he replied, gently slapping the entrance to the tunnel 

Hank gave him a questioning look as Hope and Janet stood either side of him, their arms folded as they listened to the Doctor. They knew who he was and were surprised he had agreed so readily to assist them. 

“Alright cut to the chase we just need to get leelee back” Scott pitched in from the corner 

“Were you listening at all?” Hope asked him, referring to the briefing they had received on the situation when the other’s returned from their mission. 

“Frankly, not really. I got distracted by the fact Strange said ‘hitherto undreamt of’ in a sentence half way through and stopped listening” 

 

“SEE! Thank you!” Tony muttered 

Hope rolled her eyes at the both of them and nodded to Allen Gordon to continue. 

“Your tunnel isn’t stable - which explains why you were able to open it for a short period of time but not hold it open for very long. You’re completely missing a part” he said, tinkering with the wires and technicalities on the side of a panel 

“You don’t have a subatomic quantum connector” he continued, muttering to himself as a spark shocked his hand 

“We did?” Hope replied questioningly, after all that was how they had got their mother out

“Sorry let me rephrase, you don’t have a GOOD and WORKING subatomic quantum connector” he replied, waving a fried hunk of metal in the air at them 

“What the hell” 

 

“You didn’t supply it with a regulator merge, allowing the energy to flow through it without burning it out. So… it’s burnt out. Which would be why it shut down so suddenly” 

“Okay no worries so we get another one right?” Nat said, leaning against the wall

Dr. Gordon shook his head in her general direction. 

“These are rare and expensive. Few and far between and incredibly hard to get” 

“Odds I can get one before the end of the week” Stark said, tipping his coffee mug in the Doctor’s direction 

“That would be quite the feet, even for the likes of yourself Mr Stark” 

 

Hank sighed 

“I will put my feelers out - see if I have any old connections who may be able to help. Hope?” 

“On it” she replied 

“I can see if I can trace energy signals. Pinpoint where any are being used?” Bruce offered 

Gordon nodded at him earnestly.

“Looks like we’ve all got quite the job to do” 

//

The next week was persistent and constant training and discipline for Alina. During the days, she would engage in combat exercises with masters and drill again and again with the Ancient One. No matter what she tried however she could not grasp an ability of Astral Projection. On the nights, she would eat and read books upon books in the library of different spell forms and stories. Idly, she began to learn new spells and tricks no matter how unnecessary she felt the need to pass the time. Particularly because those at the Kamar-Taj seemed to adhere to weekends off which were not on her agenda currently. She needed to figure out how to astral project, so she could at least be a step closer to contacting her own reality again. 

It was a saturday afternoon and a rare warm one for the himalayas. She sat in the library pouring over one of the restricted books on the dark dimension, which she had stealthily stolen due to curiosity. It was relatively quiet as anyone in Kamar Taj was spending it outside, in the sanctums or doing whatever she guessed they did in their leisure time. 

In her solitude, she heard a fizzing whoosh and a loud bang followed by a muffled yell. As she stood, all the blinds closed shut simultaneously and only candles continued to light the room. Thinking quickly, she ditched her book and slipped into one of the aisles, peering between shelves to assess what was going on. 

There was a group of people in the middle of the room, dressed in sorcerers attire surrounding the floating body of the librarian keeper. She was sickened to see he was now headless and with a flick of his wrist, the man who seemed to be in charge dropped the librarians body to the ground. Alina flinched slightly at the bang of the body hitting the ground. 

One member of the group was holding a book and they were speaking in low, hushed tones. Quietly Alina activated the mirror dimension, causing the walls and floor to fracture and the room to begin to copy itself infinitely. 

The sorcerer’s looked around in confusion at the unexpected change in the environment. 

“Sorry, it’s just you beheaded the librarian” Alina said, stepping out from behind her bookshelf 

“An apprentice” the man with the ponytail sneered 

“Who are you?” 

“Kaecillius” 

Alina could’ve sworn she recognised that name somewhere. She was not given the time to think though as she was engaged in a fight that was new to her. Using the mirror realm in a controlled environment had been one thing but to use it and have it used against her was a difficult thing for the mind to process. She would take a swing only to have the floor bend and fall out from underneath her.

In the process of the fight, a sword which had been hung neatly to the wall was knocked down. Alina grabbed it, instinctively searching for a weapon and found it was very effective at destroying mirror portals sent towards her. Using one hand to swing her sword at anyone coming near her and the other to wield magic, she fought to keep ahead. 

As she sent a wave of mirrors at one of the men, a voice rang out. 

“ENOUGH”   
The mirror dimension shattered around them and they were returned to the library. A few metres behind Alina, who was being backed up against the cauldron in the middle of the room, was the Ancient One. 

“Kaecilius, I see you are have not grown out of your arrogance” she said, raising one eyebrow 

“And i see you have taken on a new apprentice” he jeered

She seemed to regard him cooly before glancing to Alina. 

“You have done well” she nodded 

“Librarian is dead” she panted, looking over her shoulder to the bald woman 

“Something Kaecilius will pay for in due time” 

“You say that now but we will see” the man sneered, disappearing through the doors in an array of portals 

The Ancient One barely moved to stop him. Alina glanced at her but decided not to press it further. She was attempting to stay as removed from this realm as possible. It was too easy to forget this was not her world to save. 

Looking down, she realised she was still holding the sword she had picked up earlier. It was a well made and visually stunning sword. Not too thick, but not thin like a lancing sword it was weighted perfectly in her hand and shon an iridescent rainbow colour through it’s silver. It wasn’t quite straight either, with a strange kink towards the hilt. Nor was it long enough to be considered a traditional sword - it certainly was not a knife or a dagger but was roughly the length of her arm. 

As the Ancient One dispersed of the librarian’s body and picked up the book, which was now missing a few pages, Alina attempted to hang the sword back onto it’s place on the wall. However, every time she thought she had managed to get it to sit on it’s hook, it simply fell down again. 

After a while, the Ancient One noticed her efforts and stopped to watch, amused. 

“It’s yours now” she said, her voice ringing out in the silence

“What?” Alina replied, turning to face her from her perched position on the library ladder

“It is an ancient artifact. They choose their wielders and it seems it has chosen you” 

Alina took the sword by the hilt and turned it in the air, allowing the light off the now open blinds to reflect off it. She remembered Strange’s cloak and the story he had told her of how he came into it’s possession. 

“Dragonfang” the Ancient One said, walking towards the door

“Hm?” Alina said, still admiring the weapon 

“It’s called Dragonfang” 

//

“Any luck?” Tony asked 

It had been a week now and they had reconvened to see if anyone had any luck locating their missing piece for the quantum tunnel. 

“I was under the impression we were relying on you Tony ‘Odds I can have it by the end of the week’ Stark” Rhodey laughed 

“As it turns out, it’s harder to find than I thought” he remarked back 

“Never trust a stark” Hank muttered, in which hope smacked him in response

Tony rolled his eyes and gestured to the room for suggestions. 

“Couldn’t lock on properly to energy signals unfortunately so I am no use to you” Bruce said with a regretful shrug 

“Looked through old colleagues and nada - either that or they don’t want to share them” Hank continued 

“I am the same. I have not exactly been welcomed back to the scientific community” Doctor Gordon pitched in

It was in that moment in which Nat waltzed in, bubble tea in hand, straw in mouth and hair perfectly straightened. 

“Oh hey this meeting started like…. 15 minutes ago” Tony said, pointing to the hologram clock 

Widow raised her eyebrow at him, finishing her sip of tea before speaking. 

“So you don’t want to go get the subatomic quantum connector I sourced?” she asked innocently 

“H O W?!” Tony moaned to the ceiling 

“I was a Russian spy Stark” she quipped in reply to his moaning 

“You sourced this part they speak of?” Thor asked curiously 

“Yes but there’s a catch” 

“What’s that” 

“Well there’s kinda 2 catches” 

“Oh no” Bucky voiced everyone’s inner thoughts 

“Yeah so firstly, it’s in Australia and secondly, we’re going to have to steal it” 

“Easy done. I do a great Australian accent. Shrimp on the barby old cobber!” Scott said, attempting a horrific Australian accent

Strange rolled his eyes so hard he feared he would never see the light of day again. The room stared at Scott in silence. 

“No? Not funny…? OKay then tough crowd” 

 

“Just go suit up” Hank replied, apathetically 

“We’re going to Australia” Steve continued 

“Man how much are all these overseas trips costing us?” Tony asked in his usual sarcastic fashion 

“Roughly the price of one life and all 6 infinity stones” Strange snarked back, earning a smirk from Loki who had remained somewhat quiet and reserved over the course of the week, mostly lost in thoughts. 

“Im coming this time by the way. I need a tan and it’s summer there” Tony replied, examining his skin 

“Im sure Loki could do with one too” Clint smirked 

 

Loki glared daggers at him, his eyes narrowing as he considered what unsuspecting prank he could pull on him over the next few days. 

//

Several days had passed since Kaecilius’ attack on the Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One did not seem in the slightest bit worried about it. Usually Alina would have questioned this but she again reminded herself this was not her home, she did not know what nuances this universe held and it was best to interfere as little as possible. 

She was taking a walk in the vast mountain paths that lead out from the back of the Kamar Taj. It was nearing mid spring now and even in the Himalayas, flowers and other flora were popping out from in between crevices and rocks. It still snowed quite a bit here and there though, especially in the higher regions of the mountain, above the Kamar-Taj. She had spent the past week and a half trying to Astral project, and today the Ancient One was visiting the Hong Kong sanctum for whatever reason which was none of her business. For once, instead of confining herself to the library she decided to walk. 

The past 3 and a half weeks had been weirdly lonely ones. She felt more at peace here, than she had in the first reality she landed in. She was far less overwhelmed but still the feeling remained. At least at the Kamar-Taj she was separated from the Avengers, or lack of, of this reality and was able to live reasonably calmly. She considered this as she walked. Slowly, she was coming to peace with the possibility of being stuck like this. Not that she wanted to, nor was she giving up, but if it came down to it she wouldn’t completely hate living somewhere like this; away from everyone, not interfering with the realities Avengers. The isolation got to her thought. She missed randomly having to teach Bucky and Steve pop culture, she definitely missed practicing magic with Loki and Strange, she even missed Tony and Bruce’s incessant questions in her lab as she performed autopsies. Hell, at this point she was beginning to miss Fury’s 3am wake up calls.   
She hadn't thought about the wedding for a while now. She tried to keep it out of her thoughts to avoid spiraling. It always made her spiral. The thoughts of the mistakes she had made in regards to it and the regret she had not talking with Loki about it. 

Tiring, she took a seat on a relatively flat rock which overlooked a valley between two mountains. It was a bright, sunny day and from her position she could see far into the distance all around her. Crossing her legs, she began to meditate in the same way her and Strange had when they had first met. Taking her time, away from the pressure of the ancient one, she explored her magic. Not the infinity stones, nor her celestial heritage, but her magic as a sorcerer - something she was still learning. Allowing herself to feel the physicalities of it all, she then decided to let it all go. After all, it was just something she had come to learn not something she inherently was. 

Breathing in she felt a new kind of weightlessness. Very quickly, she realised she had entered the Astral dimension. Below her, was her own body sitting on the rocks - eyes closed and peaceful. Dragonfang glinted on her waist. She glided around aimlessly before heading back down the mountain, leaving her physical body behind for the time being. She spent her time really feeling the astral dimension, learning her spirit as it existed beyond the body. As midday stretched into afternoon she returned to her physical body which still sat, still as ever on the mountain. Looking out of the view in her astral form one last time, she took a breath and merged herself back into her physical body. 

Opening her eyes, it felt strange to suddenly have a physical being again. It was mid afternoon and the sun was reached past it’s peak high in the sky. There was a light breeze and she wore her hair down for once, watching the view. 

“Well done” A clear voice sounded from behind her

Her head whipped around. 

“I see you have finally learned to surrender” the Ancient One continued, approaching Alina’s spot where she now stood, stretching slightly 

Alina smiled at her in response. 

“Does that make me Master of the Mystic Arts?” She asked dryly 

The Ancient One chuckled a little at this. 

“It does mean your time here is up” she answered instead 

Alina looked to her. It was hard to tear her eyes off the view. Everything up here was so peaceful, so calm, she felt she could stay in this spot watching the mountains in the breeze forever. 

As she took a step back from the Ancient One, she felt the same dragging pull she had felt in the Quantum Realm. The last thing she saw was the Ancient One’s serene smile, her hand up in a sort of make shift wave before everything disappeared completely.


	10. The Diary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue if anyone is actually still reading this or not but if you are I hope you're enjoying it. I'm just kinda throwing out ideas at this point and running with them! Lemme know if there's anything you'd love to see in here xx

There was a horrible crack and a blur of colours before she felt herself falling once again. She absently regarded something sticky wrap around her waist and chest and was suddenly being pulled upwards with quite a bit of force.

“I got her!” a voice of what seemed to be a young male yelled out 

“Nice job kid” a slightly more matured voice rang out. She could’ve recognised it anywhere, despite being exhausted and barely conscious 

“Where the hell did she even come from?!” another voice pitched in   
Soon there was a full blown conversation about her origins. She finally plucked up the courage to open her eyes. Not again. 

She wanted to scream as her eyes opened to her surroundings. The top floor of the Avengers Tower - the sky bar to be exact. And surrounding her? The Avengers. There was a young man who she didn’t recognise but other than that everyone else was pretty stock standard. 

“JARVIS run a full medical now that she’s awake” Tony commanded 

“Fuck” she groaned to herself. She had just been peaceful, alone on a mountain without any risk of emotional turmoil from the members of the Avengers and now she was back at square one again. 

“Nice to meet you fuck, I am -” 

“Tony Stark I know” she cut him off groggily 

“Anyway wanna explain how you just randomly appeared falling from the sky?” Clint asked 

“Get banished from Heaven?” Stark said 

“Not right now no” she moaned in answer to Clint, her whole body aching 

“Well, according to Jarvis there was a massive energy flare and then guess what fell from it?” Stark continued 

“Me?” she questioned, still groggy 

“You could’ve died if Peter hadn’t had saved you” Steve added, gesturing to the young man who stood to her side

“What’s new” she mumbled in his general direction

He looked quite concerned at her response. 

“I’m Peter by the way” the boy introduced himself, extending a hand for Alina to shake, who was still laid on the ground. Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms impatiently. 

She gently took it. 

“Alina Everton, thanks for not letting me die” she responded 

“Oh, uh, no problem Miss Everton!” he said bashfully 

Alina raised an eyebrow at him and then looked to Tony. Apparently Tony had taken to recruiting kids now or so it seemed. 

“So where did you exactly come from?” Clint asked

“Thrown out of a plane?” Wilson joked from the corner

“No no no you see look” Banner said, pointing to a blue hologram that he had brought up

“There was a massive flare of energy - more than what’s powering this tower by tenfold. The only thing that came of it was her… the airspace was clear” he continued 

“Ahhfffhfhg” Alina moaned to no one in particular. Why couldn’t she have just stayed on that goddamn mountain 

Before any body could comment on her clear distress, a golden portal opened to the side of Banner and out of it, stepped Dr Stephen Strange. He surveyed the room before his eyes fell to Alina who was still on the floor, propped on her elbows. 

“I sensed a massive energy flare above this tower. More than anything Stark could ever achieve” 

Stark huffed and gave him an annoyed smirk before gesturing to Alina. 

“Mystery woman here was found literally falling from the damn sky” 

Strange raised an eyebrow at her, taking in her attire. She was still dressed in her outfit from the Kamar-Taj and he recognised the familiar style of dress from his own time spent there. Slowly, his eyes travelled to her waist. 

“What’s that?” he asked, gesturing to her side

She glanced down and inwardly sighed. It was getting really tedious explaining herself over and over again. Putting out a hand to indicate she was not about to threaten them, she pulled herself to her feet before drawing the sword. 

“DragonFang?!?” Thor asked excitedly, admiring the sword as Alina turned it in it’s iridescent glow 

“A Mystic artifact” Strange confirmed 

“It’s a REALLY long story” she muttered, aware she was going to have to tell it anyway

“Where did you get that? It has chosen you. These artifacts do not choose you unless you are a sorcerer of the mystic….” he trailed off

“Ah fuck it” she sighed, activating the runes around her hands

“You’ve been to Kamar-Taj” 

“Sort of. Not here. It’s… it’s really complicated” 

“Well you better start explaining” Tony cut in

Alina looked at the room exasperated and exhausted. With a heavy weight on her shoulders, she began to speak. 

“Look, just hear me out”

//

“So Nat, brief us on this whole stealing an extremely rare and expensive piece of equipment thing again?” Tony said, pretending to admire his nails which he could not see through the glove of his iron man suit 

Widow stared at him with a blank face as she watched him do this, her lips pursed as she considered Stark and his theatrics. Beside her, Hope mirrored her look. Both women looking at Stark with the same expression as they plotted ways to leave him behind.

They had left the scientists behind - taking just Stark, Scott, Nat, Hope, Sam, Thor and Loki. Clint had taken the week to go visit Laura and the kids and the others had hung back to take some down time. 

“Basically, there’s an underground research facility that exists just outside of Sydney. They dabble in experimental science and projects that are technically illegal in all other places. Australia just hasn’t really cottoned on to it and as such there is a loophole there so they can-” 

“Sorry when you say underground do you mean like… literally underground or underground like no one knows about it because I’m not a fan of the dark” Scott cut in

“I am surrounded by idiots” Hope and Nat said in unison, smirking at one another as they realised 

“Underground as in no one knows about it, god how did you get put on the team before me” Hope said

“Anyway, they’re not exactly good guys and they’ve been dabbling in Quantum Mechanics for a few years now - not to much success luckily” Nat continued, fastening her leather fingerless glove 

“We should’ve just brought Strange. He could just magic his way in and out again” Sam smirked 

“That’s not how that works” Loki replied 

“And, he said he had to go back to the sanctum to see if he had missed something on Astral forms” Hope continued

“So basically he’s sick of you guys” Nat said, standing and stretching

“Well friends, we are the lucky ones then to participate in such an adventure” Thor smiled 

“Debatable meatloaf” Stark replied as he slid into the pilots seat 

“Hey quick question did we ask Wakanda if they had this piece of tech before we flew to Australia for a covert mission?” Sam asked

“Oh…” Tony said 

“Steve sent a message but they did not have this specific piece. Shuri offered to develop it but it is quicker to just get a functioning one first” Nat answered 

“Well, at least we had a fall back” Sam replied 

“And we get to take Thor and Loki on a tour of Earth” Scott grinned 

“Enough. Suit up, we’re coming in hot” Nat commanded

// 

“So you’re from a different reality… but like 3 of them” 

“Yes, no my first reality is my original one. The one’s i’ve explained after them aren’t mine but one’s i’ve been trapped in” 

“It’s plausible Tony” Bruce interjected as Alina sat on the couch in the all too familiar sky lounge

“Yes, before she died the Ancient One showed and told me of this Quantum Realm - she once briefly sent my astral form there” Strange commented 

“So, what do we do?” Steve asked, folding his arms

Alina looked at him with a tinge of desperation. 

“There’s nothing you can do. I’ve tried to get back but I can’t… It seems, out of my control” 

“Am I this cool in your reality?” Sam asked with a grin

Alina deadpanned him, not in the mood for jokes or games. 

“Well, she’s not a US citizen since she technically doesn’t exist at all” Tony said 

“But her abilities are too dangerous to allow her to be freely roaming” Nat added

“Well, if you’re part of the Avengers in your reality, what’s to say you can’t be in our one?” Steve smiled gently 

This softer approach in this reality was nice but at the same time, it brought back that horrible weighty feeling which overwhelmed and drowned her. Instead of answering, she simply nodded and looked down at her hands. Thor had been watching her curiously this entire time. 

“What else are you hiding, Lady Alina?” he said. He could feel her powerful presence radiating and both him and Strange had exchanged a look of understanding much earlier. 

She sighed. Activating the mind gem, she stood glowing, revealing her infinity gem abilities. Shock encompassed the room as she sat back down, exhausted and overwhelmed. 

“Impossible” 

“No not really”

Conversation turned to argument about what to do about her and the Infinity Stones. An argument she did not participate in. As the argument died down into discussion, Peter plopped onto the couch next to Alina. The others had gathered around a hologram, still discussing what was to be her fate. 

He sat silently, almost awkwardly, for a moment before he spoke. 

“Hey, I think what you can do is pretty cool” 

She gave a sideways glance to his sincerity. 

“Thanks” she muttered, still playing with her hands.

As Peter went to speak again, Thor interjected. 

“Who taught you control of Infinity Stones?”

Alina felt her shoulders drop. 

“Your brother, Loki” 

The room stared at her for a moment. 

“My brother is dead” Thor said 

Her heart froze and her throat began to close up. Forgetting that this was indeed another reality, she choked up a little and her eyes glazed over. Taking a few seconds, she regained some control and looked at Thor. 

“In my universe” she forced out

“He cannot teach you here” Thor said heavily 

Alina shook her head, not prepared to explain the nuances of not needing his tutorship any longer. Their conversation over the hologram resumed. 

Peter watched the woman curiously. He had seen how badly she had choked up on hearing of Thor’s brothers death.

“So… you knew Thor’s brother?” he asked delicately 

Alina smiled into her hands.

“Yes” 

“I’m sorry” Peter said 

Alina smiled again. 

“It’s okay” 

“Are you okay?” 

For some reason she paused at this question, unable to find a reflex answer. 

“No” she replied, her voice breaking slightly as she allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks

Peter looked surprised at this and then incredibly concerned. He placed a hand gently on her forearm as he spoke. 

“Hey! We’ll get you back home no worries!” 

Wiping the tears from her face, she smiled at his youthful optimism. From the corner, Steve caught this interaction and felt a pang of compassion for the girl. After all, he knew all about waking up somewhere that was like your home but just different. He understood her sadness. To his side, Bucky caught his eye and they both exchanged a glance of understanding. 

“Look she’s not a threat. If she was an Avenger in her reality - what’s to say we don’t allow her to be one in this reality? Provided we can keep a close eye on her?” Steve suggested 

“Mystic objects do not just choose their wielder for no reason either, especially not Dragonfang” Strange commented

They looked at him in question and he shrugged before continuing. 

“It’s a famed sword made from the fang of an interdimensional dragon. It only chooses those righteous and pure at heart and can be tainted if blood is spilled on it in malice or cold blood. The user has to remain pure just to wield it” 

“So we should let her hang around on the basis of a story and a sword” Rhodey commented 

“Well the other options are let her go do whatever, or imprison her” 

“You couldn’t” Thor commented 

The group turned to him as he gave an apprehensive glance in her direction. 

“With all 6 infinity stones, we would be useless to imprison her. She would, undoubtedly, escape” 

“I vote we keep her here, train her get a gauge of her deal. If she’s lying about all this then we will undoubtedly find out if she’s in close quarters with us” Nat shrugged 

“Also, she’s trained” Clint nodded 

“Excuse me?” Tony asked, leaning forward slightly 

“Look at her behaviour man, the way she walks and moves and responds to us. She’s been a trained operative before. She could be useful to us” 

“It seems the kid has made a friend” Sam inputted, gesturing to Peter and Alina who were sat on the couch in some sort of conversation

“Oh no no no he’s only 17. She could be a master assassin for all we know, he is not hanging around her” Tony lectured 

“I’m a master assassin and you let him hang around me” Nat smirked   
‘Begrudgingly” he replied 

“So it’s settled, she stays?” Steve asked 

“Yeah. Jarvis? Set the girl up with a room… Looks like I’m taking in strays now” Tony grumbled 

Alina was both surprised and not at their decision to house her there. Since, she had fallen from the sky and started throwing magic around. She did not argue though, she was exhausted and frankly just wanted to sleep it off and replan in the morning. Standing from the couch, she flicked her wrist and changed from her Kamar-Taj get up to a simple black combat pants, black shirt and black boots. 

“THAT’S. SO. COOL!” Peter all but squealed in awe

Alina looked to him, confused before realising this universe’s avengers would not be used to her sudden outfit changes.

“Perhaps my brother did teach you after all” Thor remarked fondly 

Her small smile at Peter’s excitement faltered at the thought of Loki. She needed to figure out how to master the Astral dimension so she could try to contact them again. 

“Right this way, Miss” Steve gestured grandly 

The coming days she was watched carefully by the team. She noticed, no matter where she went, there would always be one of them in ear shot or a camera blinking away in the corner. She understood their misgivings and was thankful that they were not as harsh as those in the first universe she had encountered. It was a worrying thought however that she could materialise anywhere, including apparently falling through the sky. 

She attempted to distract herself, focussing on her goal of making contact with what she had fondly named ‘Realm 0’. This, by extension, was Realm 3. During the days she would train, mostly alone, although on some occasions she would be quietly joined by Steve, Bucky or Nat. Alone in her room in the evenings she would practice her control over her Astral form, something she still struggled with slightly. She tried to stay away from the news or the outside world. It was made easier without a laptop or phone as she really did not want to know what horrors this reality may hold. Learning of Loki’s death in this realm was difficult enough, she did not want to know what other things may exist out there that would damage her strength for this even more. 

It was mid afternoon, day 5 in Realm 3 when she heard a small knock on her door. She had neglected training today and instead confined herself to her room, practicing her projection over and over again. Shaking out the tension from sitting for so long, she padded to the door. 

Opening it revealed Peter, the boy whom she had not seen since her arrival here. Albeit she did not spend any time in the common areas in this Avengers Tower and trained at random hours of the day. 

She tilted her head at him curiously. 

“Uh.. Hi miss Everton?” he said

“Hey, Peter right? She responded

“Yeah! Hi! Steve said he sees you training sometimes but I haven’t really seen you around and well, I got you this” he smiled, handing her a rectangular object wrapped in crepe like wrapping paper. She held it for a second, unsure what to do with this sentiment before gesturing for him to enter. 

He followed her as she sat down in a chair opposite the bed. He sat on the bed, somewhat nervously with his hands clasped in front of him and his lips pursed as if he was bursting to say something. Delicately, she opened the wrapping to reveal a book. 

It was relatively small, small enough to carry around at least, and was made of brown leather which after some inspection, Alina decided seemed to be authentic. Gently she opened the book for it to reveal blank pages which were thick and yellowing. Examining this, she looked up at the boy curiously. 

“It’s a diary! I was thinking, if you keep ending up in different dimensions you could use it to keep track of things… I guess so you don’t get lost?” he smiled excitedly in response to her silent question

She paused for a moment, looking back down at the book and then broke out in the first genuine smile she had since leaving realm 0.

“Thank you Peter” she said

He was excited that he had made her look so happy. Nearly bouncing up and down on his bed seat he continued. 

“I should get you a matching pen!!” he said in excitement 

“I think this is enough” she smiled gratefully

“Yeah… Mr Stark said not to ask you this but… can you show me some magic?” he grinned 

She chuckled a little at his youthful sincerity. 

“Yeah I suppose. But not here, in the training room” she replied 

“Okay” he said, immediately gesturing to the door to which she followed. He lead the way bouncing down the corridors. 

“So what’s your deal Peter?” she asked in a musing tone

“Huh?”

“How’d you get to be part of this? You don’t seem to be an assassin” she smiled

“Uhhhh no, I guess I kinda got bit by a radioactive spider and it gave me like, super strength and stuff”

“Ah that explains it” she laughed, not caught out by the wild story

“Yeah it’s cool but it sucks at times”

“Im sure Banner finds his dabble in radiation far more challenging” she teased 

Peter laughed at this and pushed the glass door open into the training room. Wrapping her wrists and hands in white tape, she turned to him with a smile.

“How about you show me some of your stuff too?” she asked, curious about his abilities 

He nodded happily in agreement. Stark didn’t often let him train with the others and he rarely got to show off so it was nice for him to have someone so readily accepting and curious. He flicked on his little bracelets that Tony had designed, encompassing him in his Spidersuit. She regarded him quizzically before breaking out in a smile. 

“You went all out huh?” 

“Yeah do you not have a costume?” he asked, looking at her plain black ensemble

“Nah I’m not a superhero” she laughed

“Course you are. You know what? Ned and I are gonna design you a suit!” he said 

“Ned?” she questioned

“Oh, he’s my best mate. Super smart, he helped like design and make this work” Peter said, tugging at his tight sleeving. 

“Well then I am interested to see what you come up with kid” she replied

He was personally excited to design her something cool. Something clandestine and hero like yet functional for her magic and graceful movements. Ned was going to have a fieldday. 

“Okay that’s a deal! Show me some magic” 

She smirked, opening a portal below him which he fell through and was spat out a few metres above her. She comically took one step to the side to allow him to fall and hit the ground. Quickly he scrambled to his feet. 

“THAT’S SO COOL!” 

“Now you” she smiled

This smile was quickly wiped off her face into shock when his hands spat webs at her, wrapping her torso and shoulders so that her arms were stuck by her side. She raised her eyebrows at him and then laughed. 

“Not bad” 

She activated the reality stone and turned his webbing to slime which melted into the ground and disappeared. 

Peter watched this with a new curiosity. 

They spent the good part of 2 hours showing one another tricks. Peter was mostly enthralled with her magic, especially since Strange had all but refused to show him anything at all. Alina on the other hand took note of the kid’s agility, strength and other somewhat random abilities. 

As they continued, Strange, Tony, Steve and Thor watched from the viewing area above. 

“She’s talented” Steve commented

“She’s powerful” Thor added 

“Perhaps with the infinity stones but her sorcery could use more work” Strange commented idly 

“Peter has taken quite a liking to her” Steve laughed, he could tell already the two were becoming fast friends. 

“Mmhm…” Tony hummed thoughtfully, watching the pair 

“He’ll be fine Tony” Strange quipped, rolling his eyes

“Well considering she has the potential power to wipe the universe out as we know it I am not exactly thrilled about it” he returned the snarkiness

“She won’t.” Strange replied, once again referring to the sword on her waist

Tony rolled his eyes, returning the favour before walking down to the training room, the others in tow. 

“Alright that’s enough Kids” Tony said, causing Alina and Peter to stop their muck around and look up. 

Alina immediately tensed up once again, losing any carefree behaviour she may have just had with Peter. 

“You, out” he said, pointing to Alina who shrugged apologetically before exiting the room, unwrapping the tape from her hands as she walked

“For god sake Tony” Steve interjected

Tony ignored him, instead turning on Peter. 

“Kid you have NO idea what you might be dealing with here” he lectured

“Aw cmon Mr Stark! I was finally getting her to loosen up a bit. She’s not that bad!” he replied

“She’s a multi-dimensional threat!” 

“Mr. Stark she’s just lonely!” 

“What was that?” Thor asked

“Yeah she’s just lonely? She doesn’t know anyone or have anyone and she keeps getting sent other places and if that were me I’d be really lonely” he said

No one spoke for a short moment. 

“I’m just trying to be her friend, Mr Stark” Peter offered

Stark shook his head in annoyance. 

“Okay fine but if she gets you killed I’m not telling your aunt” he said, his voice echoing as he exited the room

“Yesss” Peter said in excitement, quietly so that Tony wouldn’t hear him and take it all back

Steve smiled at the kid and his obvious enthusiasm. Thor also mirrored Steve’s appreciation for Peter’s efforts - perhaps this didn’t have to be so bad after all. 

//

“WHY IS IT SO HOT” Tony yelled into the humid air as they exited the jet 

“You came for that EXACT reason” Nat rolled her eyes at him 

“Remind me to make something that controls the weather” 

“Like on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?” Scott asked

The group looked at him, deadpanned. 

“What!?? I have a daughter!” he defended 

“Whatever. Where are we?” Sam asked 

“Australia dude” Scott replied

Before Sam could respond, Nat interrupted them. 

“An airbnb” 

“In the rainforest?” Stark asked

They indeed had landed the Quinjet quietly just outside the city in a reserve. The house they had walked up to was situated in the middle of the rainforest, masked into the trees. 

“The base isn’t far from here and it means if we draw any attention to ourselves we are away from civilians” Hope said

“Im sorry how do you know all this?” Stark quipped

“I read the assigned files” she raised an eyebrow in response 

This shut him up fairly quickly. 

Once they had settled in to their respective rooms, Nat called a team meeting. 

“So what’s the plan widow?” Tony asked, examining an Australian soda 

“We lay low here for a few days. I want to set up trackers and scanners that we can use from her to gauge the activity levels at the base. Hope, Loki and myself will approach the base and hopefully succeed at setting up some security cameras and then we watch and wait” 

“How come loki gets to go on reconnaissance” Tony sulked

“Because the rest of you are too loud and obvious. Plus, Loki’s magic could come in useful in the event we need to get out of there fast” Nat answered

Loki raised an eyebrow at this but did not argue. The sooner they retrieved that piece of tech the closer they were to rescuing his fiance. 

“Aw what about Hope?” Scott moaned

“She can get up in the trees without being noticed when she’s small and she can fly” 

“I can do that too! AND I can summon Ants, I mean considering we’re in Australia I could make friends with some mad fire ants”

“I chose Hope on the basis she’s less irrational and FAR less annoying than you” Nat replied coolly, not pleased at having what was essentially a Stark part 2 hanging around. 

“Ooh Loki going on a girls trip?” Sam asked teasingly 

“Actually my brother can shapeshift” Thor added in, chewing on and admiring a mango

“Oh no fucking way” Stark grinned

“How do you think he clones himself? It’s the same magic” Thor shrugged

“So in theory you could turn into a woman?” Scott asked

“Yes, in theory” Loki said, rolling his eyes and sending a glare to his brother who was grinning boyishly at him from across the room. 

“Enough. Oh my god how do you guys get anything done?” Hope asked

Her and Nat stood next to each other, both in their respective combat gear, both looking equally as exasperated with what were essentially their children. The men stared at them, all with equally goofy and clueless smiles on their faces. 

“Loki?” Nat said, turning and picking up a black duffel bag

Loki sauntered over to her. 

“Ready to go?” Hope asked

He snapped his fingers in response. His clothing changed from his usual extravagant green and gold look to something more lowkey. He now wore a long sleeve dark green shirt which tucked into black gloves which snaked up his wrists. Over the top of this was a green and gold scaled breastplate which sat down further at the back over his thighs and finally he finished the look with black pants and brown and black shin high boots. 

He nodded.   
“Anything to get away from these imbeciles” he muttered


	11. Rogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a photo of the inspiration for the outfit. I couldn't find the artist but credit to them whoever they are :)

She entered her Astral form once more, gliding upwards and enveloping herself in the weightlessness. This time, she had a breakthrough. She felt something different and before she knew it she was seeing the technicolour fractals of the Quantum Realm once more. It was not as out of control as before when she was simply being sucked into different realities but she also had very little control other than were she was determined to go. 

 

“Sparkles!?” A voice sounded out

 

She turned around.    
  
“Tony!” 

 

In front of her stood Scott, Tony, Thor and Sam. No sign of Loki. Tony immediately tried to hug her, only to fall through her Astral form. He turned around, confused.    
  
“This is my astral form i'm not really here”    
  
“How did you do it again?” Sam asked curiously

 

“Details we don’t have time for” she replied, her voice slightly echoey as she flickered a little 

 

“Right how’s it going?” Scott asked. Upon her arrival he had immediately leapt to his feet in concern. 

 

“Uh so I am in Realm 3 now”    
  
“Realm 3?” Thor asked

 

“Yeah so this realm, your one is Realm 0 because it my original realm. Realm 1 was the Avengers who locked me up, Realm 2 was in Tibet at the Kamar Taj and now I am in Realm 3”    
  
“What’s realm 3?”    
  
“Uh Avengers again, mostly the same as you are now but with some new additions. I don’t know what the “world” outside is like per say, I try not to involve myself” 

 

“How are you doing?” Thor asked in a concerned voice

 

“I’m… okay Thor…” She forced out 

 

“Have you figured out how to get back into the Quantum Realm?” Scott asked

 

“No but I am working on it. I’m getting better at Astral projecting too so hopefully I’ll be able to contact you guys more often but it’s really draining” 

 

“Okay hang tight girly” Sam pitched in

 

“Yeah, where’s loki?” she queried 

 

“On a mission with Nat and Hope. He’s going to be very upset he wasn’t here” Thor said sadly

 

“Where is here?” she asked, looking around curiously 

 

“Australia - don’t even start” Tony said with a small smile

 

“Okay, well can you let him know that -” 

 

She suddenly flickered and then faded from view. 

 

There was a knocking sound in the back of her head which drew her back to her physical body. With a dragging feeling, she was back in her body, her head spinning wildly. 

 

Knock knock knock. Knock knock Knock. 

 

“Damnit” she muttered under her breath as she stood to get the door 

 

She opened it to find Clint outside.    
  
“Hello?” she queried. She had barely spoken to Clint since being here. To be fair she had barely spoken to anyone.    
  
“Uh spidey boy wants you in the upstairs lab” 

 

Arms crossed, Alina raised an eyebrow quizzically before nodding and slipping out of her room. Padding down the hallways and up into the sky lounge, she saw figures moving up in Tony’s lab which overlooked the lounge and bar. 

 

Sighing, she made her way up the steps lightly. Opening the heavy glass door into the lab she was curious to see Peter, Tony and a boy she didn’t recognise who looked filipino to her eyes. 

 

“Alina! I thought Clint was just gonna pretend to go get you!” Peter grinned

 

“Somehow it doesn’t surprise me you’d think that of him” Alina replied dryly

 

She looked curiously to the other boy in the room who was, in turn doing the same to her. 

 

“Oh uh Alina this is my best friend, Ned. Ned this is Alina” Peter stammered 

 

“This is the girl who came from a different reality?” Ned asked

 

“Yuh, pretty cool right” Peter replied

 

“It’s your turn to babysit” Tony said, patting her forcefully on one shoulder before making his way down the steps to the bar below

 

“I actually turn 18 in 3 months…” Ned muttered to Tony’s back

 

Alina smiled at them both, curious as to what was going on.    
  
“Soooooo…. What’s happening?” Alina asked 

 

“Oh, right! So remember how I said Ned and I would make you a suit? Well I told him about you and we started drafting some ideas” 

 

“Oh dear” she smiled

“Thing is we need your measurements… and uh it’d probably be useful to see what you can do… um you know so that we can make something designed to your needs… science and stuff” Ned said with unbridled enthusiasm 

 

“Measurements first” Alina said in a slightly lecturing tone

 

“Right yeah, come stand here” Peter said, indicating a little metal circle located in the middle of a few tables

 

She looked at him apprehensively before stepping onto it. A blue light encompassed her and after a minute, a projection of her anatomy was spat out onto a hologram.    
  
“Cool cool you can step off that” Peter said, gesturing to her little metal circle. 

  
She did so and made her way over to examine the hologram.    
  
“It gives us your exact measurements, postures, muscle and bone problems, everything” Ned said, taking notes

 

“Handy that” she commented

 

“Well we wanna get this as exact as possible” Peter noted

 

“You two are putting a lot of effort into this” Alina said in almost a confused tone

“Well yeah because it’s so cool! It’s like a little project and every superhero needs a superhero costume. Besides, it’s a challenge. We wanna make it so you can wear it and it’s functional no matter what reality you might be in” Peter continued to explain

 

Alina considered this thoughtfully as the two boys poured over the diagnostics hologram. Absently, she formed a little golden ball and began twirling it around her fingers. Ned stopped dead, watching her conjure it and then send it away again. She glanced up at him, sensing his stillness.    
  
“Oh right yeah, you wanted to see some magic”

 

“It’s sorcery” Strange yelled as he happened to pass the door 

 

The 3 burst into fits of giggles which they attempted to keep quiet. Down below Tony was drinking his scotch and talking to Steve, every now and again glancing back up to check his lab wasn’t burning to the ground.    
  


Once they had recovered, Alina began to run through each of the infinity stones. She made sure to demonstrate her abilities with elements and conjuring as well changing physical appearance, portals, formation of weapons and some general sorcery that Strange had taught her. Ned ran the diagnostic hologram over her as she moved through these processes so he could see changes in her body temperature, heart rate, posture and so on. 

 

After a fair half an hour, Ned had to leave.    
  
“Im gonna go over all this tonight. See you tomorrow to work on this?” he asked Peter

 

“Yeah for sure. Seeya Ned” 

 

Alina was sitting on one of the metal tables watching this interaction take place. Her eyes followed Ned as he walked down the stairs and said goodbye to Stark and Rogers. Peter was tinkering around with something, putting things back into place when she spoke. 

 

“So, you two do this often?” she smiled 

 

Peter laughed

 

“It’s kinda our thing” 

 

“Nerd” she teased

 

“I recall you saying you had a PhD in science” he replied

 

“Forensic Pathology”    
  
“Now who’s the nerd” 

‘Fair game there” she replied as he continued to put things away 

 

“Sorry about the other day in the training room” Peter said, referring to when Stark had told her to leave. He hadn’t really seen her since then and felt a little annoyed the Tony had kicked her out like that. 

 

“It’s Okay, I understand it” she replied quietly, remembering the somewhat tense interaction 

 

“How are you feeling now?” Peter asked, a little more hopefully as he sat on the bench opposite her, his legs swinging back and forth idly 

 

“You know, I don’t really know”    
  
“That’s okay. It can’t be that easy. I don’t know, if it were me I’d be really unhappy” 

 

“Yeah… I just miss my family aye”    
  
“What were they like?” 

 

She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling.    
  
“Well you’d know, they are the Avengers after all” 

 

“Pretty cool family then” 

 

“Yeah I would definitely say that”    
  
“Did you have an actual mom and dad then?” Peter asked innocently 

 

“No, they died when I was a child”    
  
“Oh… Im really sorry Alina” he said quietly 

 

“It’s okay Peter, it’s well in the past now”    
  
“Hey can I ask something?” he asked, after a little moment of silence

 

“Yeah of course”

 

“When you first got here and Thor said his brother was dead, you looked really upset. Is he part of the Avengers in your universe too?” 

 

She looked up at him and thought for a moment before asking. 

 

“Yes, in my universe Loki is an Avenger… and, also my fiancé”

 

Peter looked at her in shock.

 

“No wonder you seemed so upset” he replied to her revelation 

 

“In another universe, before this one, I encountered an alternate version of him who was… not the nicest”    
  
“Did it change how you thought about him?”    
  
“For a moment, yes. It’s hard to differentiate between realities when sometimes they are so similar in setting to my own. It is why I try and stay away from the team here as much as possible” 

 

“That makes more sense now. You don’t seem to mind talking to me though!” he replied happily 

 

“You don’t exist in my reality. Or maybe you do but we don’t know about you just yet” she mused 

 

“You gotta go looking for me when you get back!” he said 

 

“That sounds like a difficult task indeed” she laughed 

 

“No! Here, hand me your diary” he said, indicating the diary which she had instinctively brought with her 

 

She tossed it across to his table and he caught the leather book neatly in his hands. Shuffling through the contents of the desk behind him around he found a pen and flicked past the first few pages.    
  
“You’ve been writing in it” he smiled excitedly 

 

“I’ve been trying to write the main points from each reality I’ve been to. Like you said, it’s easy to get lost”    
  
He smiled at this before scribbling something in on the next blank page. 

 

“Here, now you can find me if I exist in your universe!” he said, chucking the book back at her. 

 

She opened it, curious as to the inscription. 

 

“Find me!! Peter Parker - 20 Ingram Street, Queens, New York. This is going to sound crazy but this is a you from an alternate reality! Im sending Alina to find you (me) this is so meta. Please trust her” he had then signed his signature underneath and put a little bit a webbing stuck underneath it.    
  
She smiled at it and closed the diary with a snap. 

 

“Well, I have to get back to that universe first but sure” Alina laughed

 

“You’ll get back. I’m sure your Avengers are trying just as hard to get you back too!” he said with optimism 

 

“I hope so”    
  
“Why wouldn’t they? You’re part of the team”    
  
“Even so, it might not matter how hard they try if they cannot actually retrieve me”    
  
Peter pursed his lips at this, thinking about her statement. 

 

“Maybe but I like to think you could find a way”    
  
“So do I Peter…” she trailed off a little sadly at the reality of the issues she was facing

 

Peter noticed the sudden mood change and decided to change the topic.    
  
“Hey wanna go throw me through portals down in the gym?” 

 

She looked up at him curiously

 

“You seriously enjoy that?” she laughed

 

“Yeah cmon it’s fun” 

 

He jumped off the bench and began to make for the door. Alina laughed and shook her head slightly. It was nice to have something of a resemblance of a friend, even if it was in the form of a 17 year old kid with spider powers. 

 

//

 

Loki, Nat and Hope returned to the news of Alina’s Astral form.    
  
“Damnit!” Loki said, kicking the couch 

 

JARVIS had recorded the encounter and Tony had played it back to the returning group

 

“She seems… slightly better at least?” Same tried

 

“Honestly we leave you lot alone for a few hours” Nat sighed

 

“Hey it’s not our fault” Stark interjected

 

“Whatever. Anyway, we need to have a look at this surveillance footage and see if it’s captured anything yet. I wanna get in and out of here as a fast as possible”    
  
“Title of your sex tape” Scott sniggered

 

Both Hope and Nat rolled their eyes. 

 

As they sat down to watch their multiple computer screen setup, Loki kneaded his thigh in anxiousness. How could he have missed her? What had she wanted Stark to tell her? Had she been injured? Hurt? Could she be… happy in another universe? His mind started to travel further and further down the consequential rabbit hole that came with overthinking. Had she possibly found a way back into the Quantum Realm? No, surely she would’ve simply told Stark and Lang that on the spot. 

 

Thor noticed his brother’s discomfort and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Loki to look up at him. 

 

“She seemed not unwell Brother. You need not worry quite so much, she is more than capable. You would have not chosen to wed her otherwise”    
  
“If we even make it to that point brother ” Loki replied

 

“You will” 

 

Loki nodded at his brother’s sentiment 

 

As the afternoon turned into evening, they formed an infiltration plan. From what the cameras showed them, the facility did not seem to hard to get in and out of. They decided their best course of action was to enter that night before any of the cameras got noticed and because it seemed it was less staffed after nightfall. 

 

“Okay Stark, I need you and Sam on aerial checking for any incoming vessels and taking down any outside garrets, shileds etc. Get Jarvis to run heat signature scans on the building”    
  
“Yes ma’am!” Stark saluted 

 

“Hope and Scott you guys are on retrieval. You can shrink down and get in there without being noticed - once in and you have the piece retrieved, you’ll have Loki for backup to whisk you out of there” 

 

“What about you and Thor?” Sam asked 

 

“Thor and I are the muscle - anything that goes wrong outside of this, guards, security procedures whatever; Thor and I will deal with. We’ll have the quinjet running to get out of there as soon as we’ve got the piece of equipment” 

 

The group nodded.    
  
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road” Tony grinned

 

It was pitch dark as they crept through the rainforest. Above, Tony and Sam glided quietly in stealth mode, waiting for their signal. After a short walk, and Thor being particularly intrigued by an absolutely massive spider, they reached the edge of the forest which provided the line between themselves and the research facility. From where they were standing, concealed by ferns and leafy trees, Nat counted 4 security guards. Beside her, Hope and Scott stood in their respective outfits. With a nod, they both shrunk down and Thor and Nat picked one up each, placing them on their shoulders. 

 

Stealthily, they crept forward. Stark dropped the Shields and Sam dropped two of the guards with his tranquilizers. As the two remaining guards checked their fallen colleagues, Nat and Thor swiftly knocked them out.    
  
“Go” Nat said quietly

 

Hope lept into the air off her shoulder, entering the facility with Scott not far behind on a rather large ant.    
  
“I loooove Australia!” he said, his tiny voice only audible to Hope 

 

“Report?” Nat asked Stark, touching her ear

 

“All security camera’s are down we are good to go”    
  
“Good” 

 

She nodded to Thor and Loki who retreated back into the treeline with her, watching quietly. 15 minutes went by in silence.    
  
“We’ve got it!” Hope’s voice sounded out over the comms 

 

“Buuuuut we’ve kinda got some company” Scott said 

 

“You’ve got 10 guys incoming from the left wing” Stark said, reading his heat signature

 

“They might be woman” Hope’s voice sounded 

 

“Seriously? RIght now?” Sam asked 

 

Nat glanced to Loki. 

 

“You’re up twinkle toes” she smirked, causing Loki to disappear in a flash

 

He reappeared in front of Hope and Scott who were simultaneously fighting the group of men who were clearly well trained. With a huff and a sort of arrogant stare, he sent half of them flying back into the wall with a simple blast of magic. As the other half advanced, he cloned himself. While his clones confused their assailants, the real him strolled up to Hope and Scott.    
  
“Ready?” he asked casually 

 

“You didn’t bring a magic carpet?” Scott asked innocently 

 

“Fine we’ll leave you here then” Hope replied, taking Loki’s arm and earning a smirk from him

 

“No no no no i take that back” Scott said, grabbing at Loki who then had all three of them disappear in a flash of magic.

 

They re-appeared just in front of Nat and Thor, causing the pair the jump violently.    
  
“Got it?” Nat asked once they had recovered

 

Hope opened her satchel and waved the piece triumphantly 

 

“Lets scramble” Stark said over the comms again

 

They sprinted back through to forest as they heard alarms go off in the background. Reaching the Quinjet, Nat and Stark threw themselves into the pilot seats, promptly activating it’s stealth mode and taking off. Once in flight and safely away from the base, they breathed a sigh of relief.    
  
“Well that went smoothly” Sam commented, detangling a spider web from Thor’s shoulder

 

“Ya knoooow… we make a pretty good team” Scott said, gently punching Hope’s shoulder

 

“That’s because me and Nat were in charge” 

 

“Can’t believe I didn’t even get a chance to tan though” Stark commented, putting the jet on autopilot

 

“Well, either way we are now one step closer to retrieving Lady Alina” Thor smiled 

 

Loki glanced to his brother as he stood looking out of the front facing window, arms crossed and head up. 

 

“Let’s not lose anymore parts this time” he replied as his mind drifted to Alina. 

  
He hoped she was okay and he hoped the time taken to retrieve this piece of equipment had not been vital to sabotaging their rescue attempts. He sighed, shaking his head. He was going to marry her the moment she stepped foot back in this reality. 

 

//

 

Another week passed and Alina had kept to herself. She realised the distrust this had earned her but hoped that she would not be here for too long anyway. That hope was slowly fading the longer she stayed in reality #3. 

 

As day 14 rolled past, she received a note slipped under her door. Picking it up, she unfolded the paper and carefully read it.    
  
“Lab. 2:30 today. Please come! :)” 

  
It was signed with a little smiley face which she knew had to be Peter. She had formed a rather brotherly sisterly relationship with him - something she was relatively new to, not having siblings of her own. She shook her head to herself, slowly getting dressed. Checking the time, she saw it was only 1 o’clock. She had spent most of the morning meditating. Not wanting to be confined to her room, waiting, she decided to see if Peter was in fact already tinkering around in the lab. 

 

She was unfortunately disappointed. As she padded into the lounge, she looked up to the glass enclosed lab to see noone present in it. Peter must still be out. Musing on the thought of what to do next she was caught off guard by Steve, who was sitting in the corner with Bucky. They had heard her coming and promptly shut down whatever conversation they had been partaking in.    
  
“He’s gone to collect Ned” Steve said at her curiosity, making her jump 

 

“Yeah I just thought I would check” she replied somewhat offhandedly 

 

“He shouldn’t be too far away. Why don’t you sit down?” Steve smiled 

 

She shook her head slightly.    
  
“No, I’lll just -” 

 

“C’mon kid you can’t fool us” Bucky cut her off

 

Looking between the two she gently took a set, sinking back into the armchair she had chosen and curling her legs up underneath her. 

 

“How you doing?” Steve asked softly 

 

“Well I am still trapped in an alternate reality with no real way of getting home and no ability to have any foresight to what may happen. So good yeah, yourself?” she replied, maintaining her eye contact with the hope the conversation would die off. 

 

“No luck then?” Bucky smiled

 

“None, unfortunately.”    
  
“Well at least you’ve got Peter to keep you company” Steve laughed

 

“Yeah spidey boy isn’t all so bad” she replied, her voice softening 

 

“He won’t shut up about you, it’s increasingly annoying” Bucky replied

 

“You can’t talk about annoying” Sam interjected into the conversation, entering the room with a mug 

 

“Well I learned everything I know from Steve here” Bucky began, a smirk spreading across his face

 

Steve laughed at the pair and their squabbles. Alina also watched with a small smile, parted only by the finger she had positioned horizontally between her lips.

 

“So gawjuus you come here often?” Sam directed at her, his voice mimicking a sleezy southern accent

 

“By here do you mean this reality or Stark tower?” she replied

 

“I was actually referring to the living room but take your pick” 

 

“No to all three then” she replied with a smile 

 

Before he could give a witty reply, Peter and Ned walked in chatting about something indecipherable to the others. Upon seeing Alina they both stopped, their faces lighting up in excitement.    
  
“Ali!” Peter grinned

 

“Hey Pete” she replied

 

Over the past week they had developed pet names for each other, almost out of reflex.

 

“Okay so lab cmon now!” Ned said, both himself and Peter taking her by an arm and guiding her up the steps.    
  
She looked back over her shoulder with a shrug and a smile at the 3 men below who were now wearing huge smirks. Sam had his phone out, clearly filming. 

 

“Sit down over here” Ned said, sweeping a bunch of objects off a bench and tapping it with his hand. 

 

She jumped up, swinging her legs as she watched them potter about, tinkering and quietly discussing things whilst glancing at her every now and again. 

 

When it seemed like they had finalized whatever they were discussing they both turned to her, hands behind their backs.    
  
“As you know, every badass superhero needs a badass costume” Ned began

 

“And we have endeavoured to create the baddest of badass costumes. One so badass -” Peter said 

 

“ - and functional! - “ Ned cut in

 

“That it will go down in history as the coolest thing ever made” Peter finished 

 

Alina grinned as she looked in between the two boys who were teeming with excitement.    
  
“And with that, we present to you the awesome badass awesome suit” Ned said, pressing a button on a little remote he was holding.   
  
The ceiling above opened and down dropped a cylindrical container. Inside, was an outfit of dramatic proportions. Through the steam from the ceiling opening, Alina could see the two grinning ear to ear. She couldn’t quite see the suit properly from her angle and didn’t get a chance to.    
  
“PUT IT ON PUT IT ON!!” Ned said, jumping up in down in excitement

 

Taking a quick peak, she waved her wrist and conjured herself into the outfit. Her first impression was the insane comfort. What had looked to be heavy and metallic at her small glance, was in fact incredibly lightweight and breezy to move in. Turning to the large mirror that the pair had set up on one side of the room, she admired their handywork.

  
  


In all honesty, she hadn’t expected to like it as much as she did. Considering Stark’s designs for suits for her in the past, she was expecting to see a skin tight cat suit decked out with some random blaster features and gun holsters. 

 

Instead she got something that allowed Ned’s “badass” description to be almost an understatement. 

She looked in the mirror admiring it. The outfit was the kind of black that had the tiniest hint of a green to it. Up top she wore a long sleeve top which came together in the middle in multiple protective buckles and sported a light weigh breastplate. The long sleeves were adorned with small pieces of armour that functioned to protect her shoulder and elbows and the soft but sturdy fabric of the sleeve spiralled down to wrap around her hands in the same way she would strap them for training. There was a leather piece that fitted over her wrist and forearm to protect from any damage done in a hand on hand combat situation or from weapons hitting her wrist. Around her waist was a loose leather belt that hung down a bit from the weight of a holster which perfectly fitted a gun into it. The pants were just as comfortable as the top, made of the same material, they plunged downwards into over the knee boots. The boots were skin tight and sturdy leather yet comfortable and free moving so she could bend at will. On her right thigh sat  sheath for what could easily fit 2 daggers, which was held there by a comfortable double strap. Finally, around her shoulders there was a teal shawl which cascaded over her left shoulder into a one-shoulder teal cape, leaving the other shoulder free for a sheath for Dragonfang.

 

 

Turning slightly she noticed the shawl-cape sported a teal hood which could be pulled up at will or left to hang over her back sheath.

 

She stretched slightly, moving her shoulders and legs and was pleased to find the material moved and molded with her. 

 

“Well, you’ve outdone yourselves” she said, turning to Peter

 

The boys faces were filled with glee. 

 

“Try out some of your magic now!!” Ned insisted

 

She did as she was told with a wicked grin. Moving through her abilities, she noticed whenever she used ice the suit kept her warmed, and whenever she’d use fire the opposite would happen. The fabric was free moving enough to allow her to flip and turn and twist without restriction and seemed to be impervious to tears on the body piece. The strapping around her hands and wrists still allowed her to use her magic freely and the hood and shawl provided concealment when needed. 

 

“We wanted to design something that was a little different ya know? You didn’t really need any cool specs to the costume cos like, you already have magic and stuff! So we decided to design it to function to you!” Peter explained 

 

“The fabric is super rare. It’s thermal detecting and keeps you warm in cold temperatures while doing the opposite in super hot ones. It’s pretty impervious to tears and rips but you can still be stabbed through it sorry. And, the armour is designed to protect the places on your body where you might be most vulnerable when fighting using magic or your sword” Ned continued, pointing to the armour to her shoulder and elbows. 

 

“This is amazing. Thank you” Alina said, still admiring the look which was better than anything Tony had ever designed for her

 

“There! Now you have a superhero costume!” Peter grinned

 

He was right. This was unique and nothing like the stock standard shield looking suits Tony had continuously made for her. Even her Celestial armour which she had worn to fight Thanos had nothing on how badass and comfortable this was to wear. Even the colour scheme was awesome, the teal standing out against the black and brow yet still being understated enough to not draw unprecedented attention. She looked like an assassin from the middle ages and she loved it. 

 

“Now you need a superhero name” Ned said excitedly 

 

“How about wonder woman” he continued

 

“Nah I feel like that’s been done before” Peter replied

 

“How about Starhawk?” She asked, amusedly suggesting the name the Ravagers had given her all those fateful months ago

 

Peter seemed to scoff at this in amusement

 

“Absolutely not, you sound like you belong in an 80s disco bar” he laughed

 

Alina smiled at this, totally aware of how offended Stakaar would be if he was here to hear this. 

 

“It needs to be simple, understated… memorable” Ned continued 

 

They seemed to think for a moment pondering their options.    
  
“You kids haven’t gone rogue up there have you?” Steve yelled from down below

 

Ned and Peter’s heads snapped up at the same time to look at one another.    
  
“Rogue” they mouthed together 

 

Alina raised an eyebrow at them. 

  
“It’s perfect” Ned said

 

“It makes total sense. You’re travelling different realities as a badass superhero, lost, away from home, an ex spy turned Avenger - you’ve gone rogue!’ Peter exclaimed 

 

“Not bad” Alina commented 

 

“Plus you don’t sound like you’re going to don rollerskates and dance to ABBA” Ned grinned 

 

“Okay kid fair game” she laughed 

 

Peter took her by the arm, dragging her to the top of the stairs. Down below Tony and Thor had joined the other three in conversation, glancing up as Peter appeared.    
  
“Everybody, meet Rogue!” he said 

 

The room took in the outfit. 

 

“How come you never make us badass suits?” Bucky asked

 

“Because you have to be badass for a badass suit” Peter smiled 

 

Bucky grunted at this. 

 

Alina smiled a little before turning back to Peter. He handed her the diary that he had given her and she flicked it open to see he had written the name “Rogue” under the little inscription he had written last week to his alternate reality self. She shut the book and gently tucked it under a piece of armour which was hidden under her shawl. It fit perfectly and was unable to be seen.    
  
Peter grinned and Alina realised he must’ve designed it to do that despite her ability to simply put the book in a halfway dimension until she required it. She smiled at this little detail he had added. As she went to comment on it, she felt a strange buzzing in her hands and arms. Looking down, she saw them fading to gold dust. 

 

“Oh -” she said

 

“Ali?!” Peter jumped, alarmed as she clearly began to disappear

 

Down below the others had stood too with Steve already making his way to the staircase. 

 

“I- Looks like I’m leaving sooner than I thought” she replied. Everytime she faded from a reality it always felt different. The first time in an explosion, the second time in a pulling sensation, this time it felt like a gentle buzzing as if she had a dead leg. 

 

“Hey dont forget about me” Peter said, watching her fade slowly 

 

“I wont Pete! Thank you for everything”    
  
“You gotta find me in your reality! You promise?” He smiled 

 

“I promise” she returned the soft smile before gently fading into nothing. 

 


	12. Realm Four

The buzzing turned to spinning and once again she was falling. That all too familiar feeling of being pulled downwards, under the current of the Quantum Realms’ pull. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prepared herself for whatever was about to come.

She felt her body crash through, judging by the loud shattering, what was some sort of glass. She guessed a window or something similar but her mind was still scrambled and her body sore from the Quantum Realms pull. With a painful thud, she hit the ground. Her head was buzzing and the feeling in her torso told her that was going to bruise. Surprisingly she had landed on what felt to her like grass, which explained why her fall was somewhat cushioned. This, along with the attire Peter and Ned had made her factored into her not shattering every bone on the left side of her body on the way down. 

“OUT OF THE WAY” A voice bellowed 

Without opening her eyes she got the sense that she was surrounded by a crowd of people. 

“She dead?” A woman’s voice sounded

There was a gentle hand on her shoulder, rolling her from her side to her back. Someone checked her pulse and wiped what she could only imagine was blood from her forehead. 

“No, she lives” 

The voice was Thor’s. Alina could’ve screamed. 

“Unfortunately” she groaned

Opening her eyes she first saw Thor peering down at her. Except, his hair was short and he wore an eyepatch. Perhaps she was in some sort of clandestine bounty hunter realm, she queried to herself. Taking in more of her surroundings however confirmed she was surrounded by a fair few Asgardians. Slightly behind Thor stood Heimdall. It seemed she had landed on Asgard. 

That was until she looked further and saw the Avengers/Shield facility and realised she was in fact lying on the grass near the lake that ran alongside it. 

‘What the hell is going on then and why are there Asgardians here” she thought to herself 

“Hey pointbreak, she alive?” She heard Tony’s voice call out from across the field

“Yes, very much so” he replied

Alina forced herself to her feet, causing Thor to step back a little. Every single Asgardian was staring at her in a mixture of fear, confusion and bewilderment. A few of the men had drawn swords and Alina inwardly rolled her eyes. Her one shouldered cape matched Thor’s. Looking around for the source of glass shattering she realised she had smashed into the windscreen of a ship which was sitting not too far from her. Beside Heimdall was a woman in armour with dark hair and skin who Alina immediately recognised as a Valkyrie due to her hyper specific wrist tattoos. During her time in Asgard last year she had read up on them extensively. From behind this woman again Alina could see the Avengers approaching rapidly from across the field. Not wanting to engage and be trapped in yet another reality with another set of Avengers, she hastily turned with the plan to leg it. 

She was not prepared for who was standing there. As she turned she came face to face with Loki. Her breath immediately caught in her throat and she stopped dead in her tracks, all plans to run immediately out the window. He looked nearly identical to her realities Loki but it was his outfit which really cemented her shock. It was incredibly similar to the one he wore the night he proposed. Teal, with a cape which shone yellow on the inside. He seemed to regard her quizzically, with a tilted head and knitted eyebrows as she visibly took a step back from him. Her wide eyes were ones that would usually indicate fear but in this case it was shock which plastered on her features. She had managed to avoid him for 2 realities now. 

“Soooo you just fell from the sky pretty much” Stark said, finally appearing by Thor 

Alina very slowly turned around from Loki to face them. Thor visibly made eye contact with his brother in a look that said “Don’t let her escape”. She didn’t say anything, eyeing up the people in front of her. All of the avengers were there except, slightly different. Widow sported blonde hair, Thor also had a new look whilst Cap had gone full beard. Bucky was looking a little messy and Clint had a new looking suit. Banner looked pretty much the same though, if not a little tired. Strange had also appeared beside them in his usual extravagant get up. 

“Let me guess, you’re here for the tesseract?” Stark said. His iron man armour looked different, sleeker and he wore it with the helmet off as he spoke to her. 

“The tesseract?” she questioned, the words coming out of her mouth instinctively 

“Perhaps not” Thor commented

“Who are you?” Steve asked gravely 

“I’m… no one” she said. She was so sick of explaining herself, who she was and her situation to the same people over and over. Deja Vu wasn’t the half of it.

“Well now that just doesn’t seem to be true” Loki’s voice purred from behind her. She glanced at him with parted lips and a worried look on her face which confused him greatly. 

“She must be a messenger for Thanos! We must rid of her!” an Asgardian man cried out

A few other Asgardians agreed readily

“No one will be dying today” Heimdall said calmly 

The Asgardian’s didn’t want to listen. The man who had originally made the call charged forward with his sword in hand. Stuck between the Avengers and Loki, with nowhere to run, her reaction was reflexive. She quickly raised a shield, blocking the man’s sword. Once his sword had been stopped, she shattered the shield and took her own sword out from over her back in a single graceful movement. Quickly she knocked his weapon from his hand and used her free hand to send a blast of magic which knocked him backwards off his feet. As the man scrambled back whilst still on the ground she raised the point of Dragonfang to his chin. 

“Please don’t kill me” he begged 

“I wasn’t planning on it” she replied, resheathing the sword over her shoulder and sending him tumbling backwards into the Asgardian’s with a flick of her wrist. 

Turning, she was faced with shocked looks and Strange who stood with his runes activated around his own wrists, ready to send her into an infinite loop at any moment. It seemed she had shown her cards.

“So you’re not no one” Strange commented

“It’s a really long story” she said, for what felt like the 1000th time now. 

“Is that Dragonfang?!” Valkyrie said, indicating to the sword over her back

“Yeah” 

“And you’re a sorcerer” Loki said, impressed at the mystery woman’s discipline and control. She once again gave him a strange look. 

“Look Thor I’m not going to hurt anyone” 

“You know my name” 

“I… fuck.. Look it’s a super long story” 

Heimdall was still looking at her strangely before he took a few steps towards her. She didn’t move, allowing him to approach. Absently she noticed she had indeed been bleeding and there was dried blood on her forehead. She wiped it as he approached.

“You have the Soul Stone” he said, his deep voice ringing out in the silence of the field

“What!” Stark snapped

“Her eyes when she conjured her magic, she has the Soul Stone” 

It was in this moment, Alina knew she had fucked up. There went the peace and quiet in Reality #4, she thought to herself. 

Deciding to throw it all to the wind, since it was already fucked beyond repair she began to speak. 

“I have all the infinity stones actually” 

“Ha-Ha that’s not possible” Valkyrie laughed 

Alina flicked her eyes to the soul stone, then to the time, then to space and so on and so forth. Giving a small but revealing demonstration each time. There was silence and shock throughout this and no one said a word once she had finished. 

“How could you possibly have the infinity stones when we have 2 right here” Strange said, indicating to the Eye of Agamotto, and then to Loki who raised the tesseract before having it disappear again. 

“It’s a long, complicated story” 

“You are from a reality other than this one” Heimdall answered clearly, his deep voice resonating in everyone’s ears

“Okay. So it’s not a long story then. Fun chat” Alina replied dryly 

“So Im not shooting her?” Clint asked, lowering his poised bow

“Oh as if Clint” Alina said, once again as almost a reflex. She could feel herself getting far too comfortable with this reality already

“Who the fuck are you?” Rhodey asked 

“My name’s Alina Everton and I don’t belong here” 

“No shit. Inside, now” Stark commanded

Since she was already monumentally screwed, Alina simply followed Stark towards the facility. As she made her way through the Asgardians, they parted in haste.

“Uh so what’s happening with this random bunch of Asgardians?” she asked, mostly to Thor 

He looked at her. 

“Well, Asgard got destroyed” 

“Oh come on! Odin’s dead?” Alina asked 

Thor nodded. She had been hoping to run into Odin in one of these realities and garner some help from him. Apparently that wasn’t happening any time soon.   
As they continued their walk, flanked by Avengers either side, Loki fell into step with her. She glanced to him to find him watching her curiously and if she didn’t know better, awe. 

“What’s up Loki?” she sighed. He seemed to flinch at her casual addressing 

“I have never seen a mortal hold even one infinity stone without facing death, let alone all 6” 

They were walking up the stairs now into the large open plan meeting room. 

“Im not mortal, Im celestial” she said rather bluntly, considering this was the 4th time she’d had to explain it to essentially the same people in under a month. 

Valkyrie overheard this. 

“No way! Like a Celestial celestial?” 

Instead of answering, Alina allowed her eyes to cloud over starry midnight blue before returning them back to normal. Before anyone could comment, Nick Fury entered the room. 

“What in the motherfucker” 

“Oh hey Fury” Alina said, completely giving into the fact that she was likely going to have to actively participate in this realities happenings. 

“Stark what have you done” Fury turned to Tony who raised his hands defensively

‘Hey wasn’t me” 

The room looked to her expectantly and with a sigh she went about explaining her predicament and the past month to them. By the time she had finished, the faces in the room were a mix of shock, disbelief, wonderment, awe and curiosity. Loki had stood next to her the entire time she explained herself, watching her curiously. His closeness and his similarity to her realities Loki was enough to cloud her mind fairly quickly and make her uncomfortable.

“That’s all well and good but we still have a Thanos problem” Nat commented

“Oh no. Oh no no no. Are you fucking kidding me?” Alina asked. Not a Thanos problem. She’d had her fair share of Thanos problems. 

“You know him?” Banner asked

“Yeah he killed me” she growled

“Um” 

“Another long story. It’s how I have the Infinity Stones” 

“Well in which case you could be very useful to us” Strange commented

“Oh fuck no. Absolutely not. I am sorry but this is NOT my reality and I am NOT going up against that purple monstrosity once again” she said, panicked. 

Despite her usual cool demeanor, Alina had still had trouble getting over the Thanos ordeal. Every now and then she would wake up from her sleep, drenched in sweat with the belief he was still hunting her. Loki would have to forcefully put her to sleep sometimes with his magic when the nightmares got bad. Now, it seemed those nightmares were becoming realities. 

“If you’ve fought him before you know his game, his MO, his power!” Steve added

“Lady Everton, you have all 6 infinity stones. The most Thanos could possibly have right now is 3… We could beat him!” Thor exclaimed

Alina stared at the expectant room in front of her. She was well aware that if she died in this universe she died for real. There was no going back to her reality. 

“How about this. You help us get rid of Thanos, we help you get back to your...reality? Or whatever is going on here” Stark asked

Alina looked at him. Everything in this reality did seem slightly more high tech than the previous ones. There was a chance it might be right what she needed. It looked like it was a chance she was going to have to take. Nodding slowly, she waved her hand and changed from the get up that Peter had designed into her generic black ensemble. 

Loki looked her up and down. That was one of his signature tricks, she had even moved her wrist in the same way he found was the easiest to make the spell move smoothly. Thor noticed his brothers curious look. 

“Okay. Deal” she said

Fury nodded at her. 

“Miss Everton if you’d come with me so we can just run a few diagnostics” Stark said. 

She nodded, readjusting Dragonfang onto her waist and traipsing after Tony, already regretting her decision. She could’ve just run. As she sat on Tony’s medical table, she had a sudden thought. If Thanos did succeed in this universe, it meant that she essentially had a 50/50 chance of dying either way. She let out an audible groan as she realised that she was now going to have to try stop Thanos in EVERY universe she encountered in order to avoid involuntarily dying. 

Back down in the meeting room, Thor turned to his brother. 

“That was very… you of her” he commented, making a gesture that referred to her outfit change 

“I agree” Valkyrie pitched in, drinking from a bottle of vodka 

“Where did you even get that?” Clint questioned as he passed 

She didn’t answer but instead tipped the bottle toward him in acknowledgement of his question. 

“Loki, you don’t think she knows you…” Banner asked 

“She has been giving me strange looks. Even the first instance, it was as if as soon as she saw me she froze up” 

“Perhaps you were a teacher to her of some sorts, in her reality of being” Heimdall inputted 

“I’d find it more likely that he caused her some irreparable trauma” Nat added as she walked past, causing Valkyrie to choke on the drink she was taking and share a smirk with the assassin

Loki rolled his eyes. 

“There’s only one way to find out” he replied 

“Loki…” Thor warned 

“What?! I’m not going to do anything bad Thor, if she can truly defeat Thanos then that's in my best interests too. No, I was referring to perhaps getting to know her - not murdering her” 

“It’s hard to tell with you” Thor replied 

“Do you really think so little of me Brother?”

“At times, yes” 

Loki smirked and Thor broke out in a grin, patting his shoulder heavily. 

“Ohhh - kay” Banner managed, looking between the two in confusion. 

Later that afternoon a briefing was called. It was standard mostly. They ran through what they did and didn’t know about Thanos, their allies, his and so on. At the end of it, Alina ventured outside. She had been allowed to roam freely, weirdly enough in her mind since she could literally just leave. It seemed Stark understood the weight of his promise and realised she wasn’t willing to risk giving that up. She walked down past the Shield agents who were training and past a few displaced Asgardian’s who were still wandering around. Eventually she reached the lakefront and found a large rock to sit on, which was projected out over the water ever so slightly.

Looking at the lake, which barely even rippled on such a still day, she thought about her decision to involve herself in this realms business. Albeit, she had realised she really had no choice unless she wanted to leave her living or dying up to pure chance. However she already faced the challenge of not involving herself too much with the intricacies and personalities of the Avengers and co from this reality. 

As she thought about this, she heard footsteps behind her and soon a figure stood beside her seated body. 

“May I?” Loki asked, gesturing to the spot next to her

She shrugged. 

“Go for it” 

 

He sat down gracefully. The late afternoon sun meant it was warm without being harsh and added a soft glow to the atmosphere which was pleasant. Even the air hung perfectly, not humid and wet nor dry and dusty. They sat in silence as Alina continued to stare out over the water, hyper aware of Loki. 

“So you’re not the biggest fan of Thanos either?” he said, finally breaking the quiet

“It seems that is not misplaced” she commented 

“Perhaps not” 

There was more silence as she did not continue the conversation. Loki kept glancing to her, watching her features. There was a deepset look of thought in her eyes and her hair was crossing her face ever so slightly in the tiniest of breezes. 

“Your sorcery is impressive. Even without the Infinity Stones” he continued 

“Thanks” 

“Who was your master?” 

She tensed up a little. This finally made her look at him. Loki saw the evaluating look to her face. In turn, she realised this was the first time she had properly looked him in the eyes since earlier that day. He was a spitting image of her realms Loki.

“In my reality?” she asked for clarification

“Yes” 

She paused, chewing over her answer. 

“Actually, you were” 

She continued to look back out over the water. 

“Couldn’t’ve guessed” he smiled 

She glanced to him quizzically. Her arms crossed over her knees which were pulled up to her chest. 

“No one but me does that wrist flick to change physicalities” he explained 

This made her laugh a little. He was right. No one did. She now did it out of pure habit, she didn’t even notice it. He was pleased to see her laugh. 

“Yes well, in my reality it was you who taught me control of the first several Infinity Stones” 

“You did appear somewhat shocked to see me” 

She chewed her lip before nodding. She decided not to make him privy to any knowledge of their relationship further than his tutorship of her. After all, it had not worked out in her favour in reality 1 and she wasn’t prepared to deal with the fall out despite that happening. 

“This is my fourth reality jump since I got lost in the Quantum realm and it is no easier every time” she sighed, shaking her head 

Loki looked slightly concerned at this. He noticed the woman’s tenseness. Her overwhelmed feeling he could sense in her magic, the same way Strange could. They had commented on it earlier but then again, who wouldn’t be overwhelmed in such a situation. 

“You miss home?” he questioned

She didn’t answer and he continued to watch her. He found her quite the enigma, and an exceptionally beautiful woman. 

“Terribly sorry” 

“So Asgard’s gone huh?” she asked instead

“Blown to smithereens” 

“Terribly sorry” she mirrored him with a somewhat dry tone

This caused him to smirk. 

“Come now, no need to get snarky” he replied in a tone all too familiar to Alina 

She swallowed. Loki noted her nervousness around him. 

“My apologies, my prince” she replied mockingly 

He smirked again, this time rolling his eyes. 

“If I do remember we’re helping you - unless you’d rather be imprisoned” 

“Excuse me which one of us is saving your magical ass from Thanos?” 

“Details” he waved towards the lake extravagantly 

This caused her to laugh - a genuine, happy laugh. The one she’d always get whenever Loki would push away the fact he was perhaps wrong. Loki in turn chuckled. The girl had character and a part of him could understand why his other reality self would’ve been curious to teach her. 

Despite all of this she still came across reserved, not really allowing herself to express her feelings or respond fully to situations. Her guard was up. Loki sensed there was perhaps another reason behind her strange reaction to him but for the meantime he had decided not to press it. He was very interested in her and her immense power. To add to this she had an intriguing personality and her somewhat unpanicked reaction to her situation interested him greatly. 

“So, how did you come into the possession of Dragonfang? It is a formidable weapon after all” 

“Apparently it chose me” 

“Mm that does tend to be how these objects work” he replied thoughtfully 

He broke his thoughtful trance to find her watching him. For her, this felt calming. This loki was not malicious like the one she had met in reality 1. This Loki seemed softer, more rounded yet still maintained his mischievous edge. As she was thinking this, the piece of grass she had been twirling in her fingers turned to a small grass snake. She immediately dropped it, cursing. 

“God fucking damnit Loki be more original for once in your life” she said involuntarily 

Loki smirked at her as she backhanded his shoulder. 

“Would you prefer spiders?” he asked innocently 

“I would prefer neither” she said in annoyance, standing and jumping off the rock onto the pebble laden shore. 

Beginning to walk back up the shore to the grass, she hear a plop and a scattering of pebbles as Loki hastily made his way after her. 

“Hey hey I’m sorry!” he said, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. 

He did not realised he had upset her that much and her frustration with him had been made particularly apparent. For Alina, she was less annoyed with his small prank and more with the fact it had felt so homely and familiar to her. 

“Look, Loki you should leave me alone” she replied evenly. He still had hold of her arm as she stood in front of him, looking up at his face. Her big green eyes were filled with mixes of emotion ranging from pain to what Loki wanted to think was care. 

“I didn’t mean for such a thing to upset you so” he replied, confused

“Trust me, it’s better if you just leave me be. This is not my reality” 

 

“If we cannot send you back then it may be” he replied, without thinking

She tensed up at this, visible hurt in her eyes before she pulled her arm out of his grip and walked away - back towards the facilities. 

Loki watched her figure recede across the field in the sunset light. Usually he would’ve shrugged and cut his losses but her strange reactions and quiet power intrigued him. With a sigh, he set off across the field. It seemed he was going to have to gain her trust. 

//

“Your saviour is heeereee!” Scott said, dancing into the Avenger’s Tower, the Quantum regulator in hand. 

“Gimme that” Hope said, taking it out of his outstretched hand and walking over the Hank.

“That what you were after, Dr Gordon?” Nat asked

“Perfect. It may take me a few days to calibrate it however” he replied

“Hey at least we have it now. Anyone want a whiskey? Australia sucked” Tony said with a shrug and his usual nonchalant tone.

“And Alina reappeared once more” Thor said, patting Banner on the shoulder with a grin 

“Oh yeah that - Sparkles made an appearance”

“That really should’ve been the thing you OPENED with, Tony” Hank said exasperated

“No worries, Jarvis recorded the whole thing. Jarvis?” Tony replied 

“Of course, sir” Jarvis’ voice rang out. Immediately a projection of their encounter with Alina appeared.

“Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating” Pym said, watching it once more as it repeated itself. 

Doctor Gordon watched on with a mixture of fascination and graveness. 

“It is paramount that she finds her way back into the quantum realm” he said in a dark tone 

“Seems like it’s not entirely under her control man” Sam added in

“It does not make its importance any less”

“Oookay that’s enough depression talk for one day. I’m sure her magical ass will sort it.” Tony replied 

“Whether she sorts it or not is out ofthe question if she cannot sort it before the constant interchanging of realities destroys her mind or she is displaced into such a dire existence that she is killed” Hank said   
“Dad!” Hope said sharply, seeing Loki’s face tense up 

“Um…. what did i JUST say about no more depression talk” Tony said exasperatedly, glancing at Loki who looked around the room before taking his leave. 

“Nice going.” Nat said, aware of Loki’s discomfort. She could relate. She’d felt the same when she had learned Barton had been compromised, ironically enough by Loki himself. Despite this, not knowing where he was or how to help was incredibly frustrating and upsetting. 

“Dad cmon” Hope said, well aware of the situation. Her and Alina got on well and even though he had not known her long, she wanted her friend back too and didn’t like to think of her dying out in some different reality without them ever knowing. 

Away from the others, Loki traipsed upstairs only to run into Bucky and Steve in quiet conversation in the top floor living room. They glanced up as he entered, their conversation dying down. Both men could read the intensity and distress on his face. 

“How was the mission?” Steve asked

“Smooth. The part was retrieved” Loki replied

“Then why do you look like Thor just learned how to master magic in his free time?” Bucky asked, somewhat amused at the God’s annoyance

Loki regarded him for a moment, obvious disgust crossing his face at the thought. 

“Doctor Pym seems intent on constantly reminding us all Alina may not come back at all, left to perish in a separate reality while we are left wondering” 

Bucky immediately dropped his smile, regretting his earlier jive. Alina had been one of his best friends ever since he had first met her, helping him through his own traumas and the thought of her never coming home made him sick. He instinctively touched his dog tag. 

“What’s the consensus?” Steve probed gently 

“He seems to think that there’s great potential for her to get herself killed or to go mad in another reality” Loki hissed, mirroring his distaste for the idea

“Can we go after her?” Bucky asked, a somewhat desperate plea entering his voice

Steve shook his head. 

“There’s no point losing another one of us. We currently have no control on which realities we may or may not enter” he explained. He had been listened to Gordon and Pym over the past week and had picked up some of the details of the Quantum Realm.   
“But that means she has no control either…” Bucky finished 

“No she doesn’t” Loki answered

“Man she’s really putting off this wedding bro” Sam said as he walked past the room 

Loki shook his head. 

“She’s always been stubborn” he replied 

“Seems a bit extreme, even for her” Bucky smiled 

Loki let out a single laugh, looking downwards before straightening his posture. 

“We’ll get her back, Loki” Steve said sincerely 

“I hope so Captain. I hope so” 

 

// 

2 days had passed and Alina was in the gym, rigorously destroying bots. Steve, Rhodey, Sam, Clint and Nat had gone to pick up Vision from somewhere unknown and many of the training shield agents had been transferred elsewhere, leaving the base considerably quieter. 

Finishing her round, she heard a loud fizzling pop from outside and a gust of wind so forceful it cracked a window. Jogging upstairs, she joined the rest of the remaining Avengers who were too staring out the window. They were greeted to two of Thanos’ children; Cull Obsidian and Ebony Maw. The pair stood in the scorched grass from their arrival, looking around with distaste. 

“Thanos’” Stark said, activating his suit

They made their way outside, standing several metres away from the pair. 

“Greetings. Your death’s shall be at the humble personage of the great titan Thanos. With your sacrifice -” 

“Yeah sorry Earth is closed today” Stark interrupted the Maw

Valkyrie glanced to him and Strange rolled his eyes. 

“Stone Keeper… Does this inane animal speak for you?” Maw asked the Doctor 

“Certainly not. I speak for myself and you are trespassing on this planet” 

“Hm… Interesting” Maw cooed 

His eyes flicked to Alina before rolling across the rest of the group.

“Dispose of them” he said with a hand wave to Obsidian who promptly began to charge forward, the weight of his steps leaving indentations in the grass.

“Oh for god sake” Alina muttered, taking several steps towards the beast despite the looks of shock and terror on the rest of the groups faces as she waved at them to stay put.

In several fluid movements she froze Obsidian to the spot, then continue to freeze his whole body until it was nothing but ice. Taking dragonfang from her waist, she took a slicing motion at the ice figure, promptly shattering him into pieces. 

The look of shock on Maw’s face was quite worth it in Alina’s mind. Already having faced the order, she was well aware of their vices and weaknesses. Feeling Maw’s magic around her throat, she began to dangle off the ground choking slightly. 

Seriously? Again? She thought almost idly 

She promptly used the power stone to obliterate any hold he had on her, dropping to the ground and then shaking herself off. As he used his talents to hurl trees and other objects at her, she simply dodged or disintegrated the attacks. 

“Who are you, woman?” he sneered at her figure in front of him, leering forward angrily. Unfortunately, this was his mistake. 

The figure in front of him was not her but a clone she had earlier conjured. He felt the burning pain as Dragonfang drove through his chest from behind. She used her free hand to conjure a ball of fire. 

“I am so sick of answering that question” She said as she dropped his body to the grass and used the little ball of fire to set him alight.

As his body burned, she walked back towards the Avengers who stood frozen, their faces varying in emotion. Loki and Thor both had their mouths open and their eyebrows raised in shock, whereas Banner and Tony shared confusion and a dry glee, Bucky and Strange both mirrored looks of incredulous surprise, Bucky’s forming into a impressed smile. She stopped in front of them for a moment, considering them, before moving through them towards the facility. 

“UHhhhHHhhh” Stark drawled out, voicing what was going on in everyone else’s heads

“I think we’re good guys. We’re just gonna let her deal with this” he continued, looking around at the others

Thor jogged after her with the excitement of a little boy. 

“So! I can see why Dragonfang chose you! Where did you learn such cunning and graceful combat moves?” he asked enthusiastically, now in front of her and walking backwards to talk

“You don’t wanna know” she muttered

“You just took down two of Thanos’ henchmen in under 5 minutes… solo” Banner said, trotting after her and Thor, the rest of the team in two behind him. 

“It’s easier the second time around” she commented

Having the infinity stones and control over them prior to actually meeting Thanos or his Order was exceedingly helpful. The movements of the Order members had been painfully predictable to her in a strange sense of deja vu. 

Stepping back into the facility with the others in tow, she continued to be bombarded with questions which she had no interest in hearing or answering. Giving half answers, nods or simply stares she began to get frustrated with the constant attention and need for plans. She understood it but it did not make it any easier. Sensing her discomfort, it was Loki who intervened. 

“Enough.” he interjected, causing the group to scatter into their own mini groups, continuing excited conversation about the apparent ease of their victory. 

Alina simply nodded to him before turning to walk down the nearest corridor. 

“Hey” he said, following her 

She glanced at him as he fell into step with her. He remained silent as their footsteps echoed down the hallway. She in turn, did not prompt any conversation. Eventually, she reached the door to the room that Stark had made theatrics about giving her. As she turned the handle, she looked to Loki who was let to take the hint and instead stood there expectantly. 

“May I help you?” she sighed, dropping her hand off the door handle 

“How gracious of you to ask” he smiled 

She raised her eyebrows at his somewhat sassy response. She didn’t really know what to say, which was unusual for her around Loki. She had to remind herself this was not her Loki however. 

“I just want to talk” he continued  
“I’ve already fought Thanos and his order, yes I can control the stones, no this doesn’t guarantee a win, yes it was a long and painful experience. Anything else?” she replied bluntly, quickly answering all the rapid fire questions she had been asked by the others not 5 minutes earlier. 

Loki took a small step towards her

“That was not what I meant” he said 

His closeness made her freeze up. She missed him dearly like this, more than she had ever realised she would. After Thanos, she had taken for granted their time spent together - as if nothing in the world could ever take it from them again.

“What did you mean?” she replied in a quiet voice

“What troubles you so much?” he asked, curious at the woman’s strange reactions to everyone, including himself and the situations that had presented themselves. 

“Nothing, Loki” she stared up at him

“You’re not a very good liar” he smiled

“I’ll have you know I am an excellent liar” she replied, raising an eyebrow with a twitch of a smile. 

“You know I am the God of -”

“Mischief and Lies. I’m well aware” 

“You know me well it seems” 

“Knew” she replied sharply

“Well, I am here am I not” 

“You’re not my Loki” 

“Your loki?” he tilted his head 

“My… realities loki” she stammered in response

“Is he.. Am I… very different?” he asked curiously, he had stepped forward enough to cause her to back up against her slightly open door, causing them both to now be more inside her room than out. 

“No.. you’re very similar” she sighed  
“Then why do you avoid and disregard me so? As if I am some monster in comparison to the me you claim to know” 

She sighed, closing the door behind them. She did not need anyone else further joining at this point, which considering the foot traffic in that hallway, they were lucky to have not already. 

“The fact that you are so similar to the Loki I know only scares me more” 

“Why?” 

“It makes the lines between realities blur ever more and puts me at risk of forgetting my place, where I came from and were I belong. I have already met you in another reality, separate to this one and separate from my own” 

“And?” 

“And you were cruel and malicious. But at least it allowed me to know my place, to remember were I belong and what my reality is like” 

“You are scared you will get lost?” 

“Quite so.” 

“Is this why you have been avoiding me? Because I am too similar to myself in your home reality and you fear forgetting your home in favour of this reality?” 

“Yes…” 

“You don’t seem to be so flighty around the other’s here. What significance do I hold that worries you more?” 

She paused at this. She was not going to make him privy to that knowledge.

“You are my teacher and as such we have a close relationship. Getting too comfortable with you here could result in me not wanting to, or forgetting about needing to return” 

“Do you have family there? A relationship?” he probed

They now stood very close as they spoke. 

“No, my parents died when I was a young child and… no” she lied 

“Then what harm does staying here do if you have nothing to return to” he said breathily, looking down at her as he considered her features

“The Avengers there are my family, they are looking for me and to simply give up would not only do them a disservice but would separate me from the only family I have” 

“There are Avengers here. They could be your family just the same” 

“I would always know. It would feel wrong, especially to know my original realities avengers were still searching for me” 

She breathed out slowly. It felt strange to be saying all of this outloud. She hadn’t really voiced it so directly other than inside her head. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Loki taking her hand gently.

“And what of if you cannot return?” he asked quietly, running his thumb over her hand 

She paused at this, staring up at him with a mixture of pain, confusion and consideration on her delicate features. 

“I do not ask to upset you. I only ask to protect you from the shock of the possibility” he continued 

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’ll do… I haven’t really thought about that - I’ve tried not to. Everything is riding on me being able to return to the Quantum Realm and to get home” 

It was true, she had not really considered failure to be an option in this scenario. 

“Stay” Loki replied in a soft voice

Her head shot up to look at him quizzically. 

“If you cannot get home… why not stay? If this is so like your own universe, then perhaps that is not a bad thing. I am not telling you not to try but if it fails… why not stay?” 

She had gotten far too comfortable speaking with Loki in such frank and calming terms. And it was nice. He was right after all. This was not the worst reality to be stuck in. The Avengers were more or less the same in personality and even Loki was uncannily similar to her own universe’s version of him. 

“I guess…” 

“If you allowed yourself to communicate, to bond perhaps rather than simply running at every interaction perhaps we could be your family too?” Loki replied

The hopeful expression on his face made Alina smile just a little. It was a very warm feeling to be speaking to Loki like this, to have his hand playing with hers and his calming words running through her mind. 

“Perhaps” 

“I believe the Midgardian saying is “Do not put all your eggs in one basket”” 

She laughed a little at his term. 

“That is correct” she smiled 

“Look, Alina… We fight Thanos, we beat him and then there’s no threat. We can try get you home or you can live here in peace. That decision can only be made by you when the time comes but do not disappoint yourself by only choosing one option” 

 

“Thanks Loki” she said. He was always well balanced with her. The missing feeling she had went away when she was talking to this version of Loki. She could see herself being happy in this reality and this possibility worried her a lot. 

“I know what it’s like, to be the outcast, but it doesn’t have to be that way for you.” 

She nodded slowly. As she did so, he used the hand he had intertwined with hers to pull her in for a hug. 

She was shocked for a moment but as his smell took over and she felt his cool body against hers, she relented. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she carefully rested her head to his chest. In turn, her wrapped an arm around her waist and placed the other hand in her hair, gently playing with it - the same way her Loki always had done out of habit. 

Loki was pleased he had managed to make her appear more comfortable around him; it seemed she had let down her guard a bit. As she hugged him back, he had a strange sense of comfort overcome him. She fit perfectly against his body and her hair retained a fragrance of fresh lilies. He noted she also hugged him tightly and unexpectedly, did not pull back after a few moments. 

Eventually, they broke the hug and Loki moved back towards the door. 

“If you want to come discuss plans, you know where to find us” he smiled, before slipping out of the room. 

 

It took her a day to come around to Loki’s proposition. She was aware she had let down her guard to him but it hadn’t felt bad. If anything, she realised she felt happier when she had. After a day of thought had passed, she decided to act. 

The Avengers were sitting in the shared living room which, due to their sheer numbers, they often used to discuss plans, missions and briefings. The other groups had arrived back with Vision and had just finished discussing the events of the previous day with the order, when they were treated to a surprise. 

Just as they had begun to discuss what to do about the remaining two members of the order, and Thanos, Alina walked in. Dressed in her black combat gear, she paused slightly as she entered the room. Loki gave her a small, lopsided smile. 

“Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight. Those are the other two children” she said, inputting into the group discussion. 

Vision regarded her curiously as she moved into the centre of the room. Around her the Avengers either sat in the couches that outlined the room or stood, arms folded and leant against the wall. 

“You know them?” Steve nodded, indicating her to continue

“Strong, agile, will definitely kill you if given the opportunity. Fucking around with them is not an option and idly you want them out of play before you even get to Thanos.” 

“Any opinions?” Thor asked

“They’re arrogant. Fool them” she replied 

“And Thanos?” Strange asked

“None of you have a chance” she replied

“That’s a bit dire” Stark cut in

“No it’s not. If he already has the Power, Reality and Soul stones then you really have no chance. The power stone can obliterate anything you send his way, while increasing his durability and stamina. The reality stone is literally that, he can alter the reality around him or certain objects - turn your weapons to dust, you name it. And the Soul Stone? He knows who you are and your weaknesses before you even know them yourselves” 

“So what do we do?” Steve asked 

“You’re woefully underprepared and unequipped. You leave Thanos for me” 

“Then what exactly is our job?” Rhodey asked 

“He has an army. They’re called the outriders and they are savagers. They have no concept of their own lives and will tear anything and everything to shreds. You need to keep them contained” 

“Do we have a plan?” Clint asked  
“We wait. He will come to us.” she replied

“What do we do till then?!” 

“Train, plan, protect. Set up a shield which encompasses the radius of this facility outwards, that way we can contain the attack since we are relatively removed here” 

“You seem to have come on board with this all very suddenly. What makes you want to save this universe” Banner addressed her

She turned to him.

“Well, Dr. Banner, that would be because currently I am one of the idiots who lives in it” 

“Currently” Thor nodded 

“There’s the potential it may be more permanent. I’d rather not live in a reality where Thanos has won. I have had a year long love affair with the absolute bullshit that the mad titan inflicted on my life - I do not plan on reliving it” 

“What was it like? What happened?” Clint asked

“Hell. I got kidnapped, stabbed, tortured, shot, kicked off a train, tazed, kidnapped again, watched my only living family die, got stalked by a crazed enhanced, frozen, choked… you name it” 

“How do you have the Infinity Stones?” Thor questioned curiously 

The room suddenly became hyper attentive. 

“There was some stupid prophecy. My human parents accidentally saved me when Thanos killed the Celestials, my people. At this point, I already possessed the soul stone. Got kidnapped by you, actually. Taken to asgard, got the space stone there. Then joined the avengers on earth and managed to attain the mind and power stone. Ran into strange, who fucked up and accidentally smashed the eye of agamotto, giving me the time stone and then got the reality stone from thanos in the last moment” 

“Doesn’t sound fun” Nat commented 

“No. It wasn’t. But I found a family amongst all of that and for that I will be forever grateful” 

“Did you date any of us?” Clint smirked

She threw the nearest thing to her, which happened to be a pen, and hurled it at him. 

“As if” she said, with a smirk 

“Excuse me have you seen Thor” Clint winked 

“He doesn’t look like this in my universe” she smiled 

“IS HE GOTH!?” Stark yelled 

“No he’s not goth he just has both eyes and long hair” she laughed 

“If you end up in a universe were Thor is goth send pics” Stark replied 

“And how do you expect me to do that?” 

“Im sure you’ll find a way oh mighty one” he said theatrically. 

“I think that’s this meeting done” Steve smiled 

As the room broke into separate chatter, Thor leaned over to his brother who stood beside him. 

“Have you spoken with the Lady?” he smiled 

“I may have had some input” Loki replied, still watching the woman

“I am impressed”

“Oh do have some faith brother” 

Thor shrugged with a laugh.

“Think she’s single” Valkyrie asked, arms crossed over her leather chest piece. Thor and Loki glanced to her in surprise. 

“Uh” Thor said 

“What? You don’t think she’s hot. I think she’s hot” Valkyrie continued

“I think you’ve spent too much time with the Grandmaster” Bruce said as he joined them 

“I’d judge that she seems very much on her lonesome” Thor commented 

Loki rolled his eyes. 

“Oh cmon Loki like we haven’t noticed your heart eyes over her since she fell from the sky” Bruce pointed out rather confidently 

“Do not think I would hesitate to kill you Banner” he replied with raised eyebrows. 

“He’s right. You went full charm the moment you got the chance to” Valkyrie continued, slinging her arm around Bruce’s shoulder 

“For the sake of having her help us” he replied 

“For the god of lies, you have always been a mediocre at best liar” Thor laughed 

“I do not care for her” Loki huffed 

“Okay Okay okay whatever you say! So you won’t mind if I give it a go?” Valkyrie smirked 

Loki glared at her. 

“Do whatever you like” he hummed

Just as he finished his sentence, Alina approached initially intending on speaking with Bruce about the shield. 

“Hey” she smiled softly 

“Hi. Dont believe Loki’s properly introduced us” Valkyrie smiled confidently 

“Oh, I’m Alina, sorry.” she scratched her head 

“Oh don’t apologise, Loki has a tendency to be rude” 

Alina smiled at this. Didn’t she know. 

“So you’re a Valkyrie” 

“Yeahhp, last of my kind” 

 

“Well on that we can relate” 

“I’m sure we can relate on much more” she smiled 

“She’s not an alcoholic” Loki cut in

Valkyrie glared daggers at him. 

Not really understanding what was going on, Alina turned to Bruce. 

“Hey, I think Stark wants to talk about the shield systems” she said 

“On it” he replied, immediately ducking out from under Valkyries arm and heading in Stark’s direction. 

“Are you two….?” Alina asked, pointing between Valkyrie and Banner

“What? No! No” Valkyrie stuttered, much to Loki’s amusement.

Before he continue damaging the warrior’s reputation, Strange approached, tapping Alina on the shoulder. 

“A word?” he asked, gesturing they move to elsewhere.

She nodded and as she started to walk away, both Loki and Valkyrie huffed and rolled their eyes. 

“What can I help you with, Doctor?”

“I want to help you” he replied

She raised her eyebrows at him

“I know you can astral project” he elaborated

She froze. 

“I’ve seen you practicing and I can feel your magic. Let me help you practice. Two sorcerers have the potential to balance on another’s energy” he continued

“Why? Why would you want to help me with that?” 

“Because, whether or not you get home, it may help you come to terms with your options and we do not need someone emotionally unstable going up against the biggest threat in the universe” he said, somewhat snarkily 

“Fine. Whatever makes you comfortable douchebag” she replied

As she walked away, Loki had noticed their exchange. 

“You better not have damaged the work I have done” he hissed to Strange as the Doctor passed him

Instead of answering, Strange simply rolled his eyes and left the room. 

// 

It was coming up over a week since Alina had appeared in Australia and well over a month since they had lost her to the Quantum Realm. Loki was starting to get increasingly anxious. The longest he had gone without having her around had been when she had been taken captive by the Shadow man which had been roughly a month. This was surpassing that and not only was he missing her but he was beginning to worry about how long it may take to retrieve her, assuming that they could. 

His worry was apparent to everyone. He was barely sleeping, pacing the halls at night.Even Strange was beginning to pick up on this, despite not living in the tower, and was beginning to get tense. 

“How’s it going Doc?” He asked Doctor Gordon who sighed, peeking out from under his work station. 

“The recalibration is more difficult than i anticipated. Your machine is very large” he answered Strange

“You’re doing your best” Steve smiled. He stood, arms folded, near the edge of the room.

Quietly exiting the room, the group left the scientists to it. 

“It’s been over a month Steve” Tony said. Even he was beginning to worry this would be a years rather than months project

“There’s nothing we can do until we get the generator running” Steve replied. He was trying to keep attitude together for the team, who mirrored Tony’s worry. 

“And then what?” Clint asked. He missed his friend. 

“I dont know” Steve admitted

As they entered the living room, they saw Loki standing with his hands clasped behind his back looking out over New York. It was a particularly miserable day and raindrops lashed the windows. 

He turned slightly as they entered and Steve shook his head sadly. Loki knew what this meant; they still had not been able to reaccess the Quantum Realm. 

“We’ll get her back” Nat tried

“Perhaps but if so, when? In 20 years, when we’ve all been forced by the changing times to move on with our lives? To slowly allow her to fade into nothing but a memory?” Loki sighed

“Brother have faith”

“We’re never gonna stop looking for her” Stark added  
“And what of the opposite? What if she believes us to have given up, so she settles, finds happiness in another realm? Allows us to fall into but a memory of the past?” Loki continued, his worries spilling out into the room

“You really think she would give up on you?” Gordon said, walking into the joined kitchen covered in grime and dust to collect a spanner which Stark had idly brought upstairs with him 

The group looked to him, questioning. He had not so far in as given his input to the situation in a way that was not purely mechanical.

“I’ve not met this girl of yours but even simply to find a way to contact you all, traversing realms and time, is a feat of it’s own. It is painful and difficult. Even my daughter, who was trapped for so long, never forgot.” 

“It drove her insane” Thor pointed out, causing Nat to nudge him

“Yes Thor it did. But Miss Everton has much more of a chance. Losing faith in her is the worst thing you could do”

Loki ran his hands through his hair worriedly. 

“She doesn’t deserve this. If you even understood the trials she has been put through by the universe, by Odin, by Thanos… even by ourselves… You might have an inkling of understanding of the severity of her position” he said

‘I have well been explained the situations. Dr. Banner is very vocal. It is for those reasons that you should not allow yourself to give in” 

It was in this weird and somewhat somber moment that Alina appeared. Her astral projection hovering gently in the air. This time, however, she did not appear to see them and was instead holding conversation with someone else. That someone else was an Astral form of Doctor Stephen Strange. His astral form stopped, looked around before looking to Alina. 

“Uhhm” he said

She too looked around. 

“Uhhmmm” she mirrored. This had clearly been unintentional 

“Oh that’s me” the astral form said, looking to the physical Dr Strange who was equally as shocked to see himself

“Loki!” Alina exclaimed

“What in the hell is going on?!” Stark asked

“I don’t know… Strange and I were just practicing Astral projections and… we ended up here”

“Yes, I imagine our combined energy somewhat.. Boosted our signal.. If you like” Astral Strange added in, peering at himself curiously 

Loki approached her and Strange’s Astral forms somewhat timidly. Alina seemed a little different, almost calmer, happier. 

“Where are you now?” he asked 

“Realm #4. This one’s very similar to our one” 

“Except we have a Thanos problem” Astral Strange added 

“Oh you’re kidding” Clint said 

“Nope. Miss Everton here is in the process of formulating a plan of attack” 

“No. Alina in no way should you engage Thanos!” Stark said 

“You know if you die, you stay dead Ali” Steve added in 

“Yeah she knows that” Astral Strange said, rather arrogantly 

“Yeah… I know guys but here’s the thing… If Thanos wins… and I am still in this reality when he does… then there’s a good chance I might die anyway” she said softly

They suddenly realised her very valid point. 

“Plus she’s already killed 2 of his henchmen so you’re well behind here” Astral Strange smirked 

“Alina, your priority is to return to the Quantum Realm” Physical Strange said gravely

“I know… But I kinda made a deal that if I help these guys get rid of Thanos then they’d help me with that. Everything is a little more upspec here, it’s worth a shot” she smiled

“God is my hair really like that” Astral Strange asked physical Strange who raised his eyebrows at his non physical self

“It seems you are just as vain no matter what universe you’re in” Alina commented dryly

“It would hurt no less if I killed you in this form” he said annoyed 

“You lay a hand on her and I’ll kill you” Loki growled   
“And do tell me how you’re going to do that?” Astral Strange smirked, taking a hold of Alina’s arm

“Strange stop antagonizing” she muttered 

“It seems your realities Loki is just as protective” astral Strange smirked, remembering how annoyed Loki had gotten when he had approached her the day before 

“There’s another form of me?” Loki asked 

“Yes and he’s just as annoying” Astral Strange commented 

Alina sighed 

“He’s ...nice… pretty much identical to as you are here” Alina smiled

“Oh you poor thing” astral Strange cut in, causing Alina to smack his shoulder and glare

“This realm is very similar to ours” Alina continued

Loki did not like the way this Strange was looking at her. It was competitive, hungry… it seemed as if he was working to piss him off. 

“Oh do stop looking at me like that. Jesus she wasn’t wrong when she said you’re so similar to our Loki - you can practically see the …. Oh” he said as he came to a realisation 

Alina glanced at him as he looked between herself and Loki. 

“Oh Oh oh… this makes everything so much more interesting” he smirked 

“What does Doctor?” Alina asked 

“You two are a thing aren’t you? That’s why you have acted so strangely flighty around our realities Loki” 

“Fuck” Alina muttered 

“Strange I swear to god you lay one hand on her and I will personally find my way into your universe and dismember you” Clint snarled 

“Lighten up” he said, with a one sided smirk

“Shut up. Look, I’m working on the Quantum Realm thing but first I need to deal with Thanos. Don’t worry, it’s significantly easier the second time around” she smiled 

“It does not make us worry any less” Thor said 

“No.. but you guys need to work on stuff on your end otherwise you’re useless too” she replied

“We’re doing our utmost” Dr. Gordon cut in

Alina nodded to him gratefully. 

“Loki I’m safe, don't worry. I’ll be back before you know it” she smiled softly

“You really know how to avoid something don't you?” he smiled back

She shook her head. 

“This is to a new extreme, even for me” 

“Yes, so I have noticed. It is going to be particularly distasteful to explain to Odin and Frigga why the wedding is postponed” he laughed, he had realised that this was not going to be a quick retrieval and would require explanation.

“The Wedding?! OH Boy I did not think this could get better. You two are seriously engaged?! That is amazing. Wait till I tell Loki” Strange smirked 

“You will do no such thing” Alina all but snarled, taking Strange by the collar 

“Why not? Afraid?” he smirked into her face

“Very much so. Do not think I would hesitate to kill you before you got the chance” 

“Oh darling… I know you would hesitate. You can barely keep it together to begin with, let alone kill someone who is the carbon copy of who I can only assume is your friend” he said, glancing to physical Strange

“I give her full permission. Make it painful” Physical Strange replied dryly

“Im serious, Doctor. Unless you want me to throw in the towel and let your magical ass get turned to dust by Thanos, I suggest you keep your mouth closed” 

“As you wish” he replied, his smirk deepening as he looked down to the girl 

Loki hissed under his breath. 

“Good. Stop aggravating the situation” Alina muttered 

“You doing okay other than this douchebag?” Tony asked 

She glanced to Tony softly. 

“Yeah. It’s weird but it’s okay. I’m not harmed as of yet” 

“If you do go up against Thanos again, please, for the love of god do not get yourself killed” Bucky commented dryly

She smirked at him, a small laugh breaking out.

“Bucky I swear it’s like you guys think -” 

She was cut off by her and Strange sharing a look before disappearing. 

Loki felt his heart jump into his mouth. Anything could have just happened. They could’ve been attacked by Thanos for all he knew. He swallowed nervously.

“She’ll be okay” Steve said to the quiet room

“I think we need to work faster” Tony commented, turning to the door and accompanying Doctor Gordon back down to the labs.


	13. Reality Five

Alina whacked Strange as they came out of their Astral forms. Valkyrie, Thor and Loki had busted in on them and interrupted the session. 

“Did you HAVE to aggravate that?” she hissed as she stood up

The trio who had burst in watched on. 

“Oh please no need to be dramatic” 

“You’re an arrogant prick” she growled, turning 

He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her and using the other hand to grab her by the chin. She froze, glaring angrily as he held her head still. 

“And you a self righteous fool, pretending like you are any better, pretending as if you can really make it back to that pathetic realm of yours” 

Her hand was now gripping the wrist of the arm that held her face still as she restrained herself from acting physically against him.

“Enough, Strange” Thor bellowed

Strange dropped her face and she continued to glare at him. 

“Fucking asshole” 

Strange looked at her for a moment, mirroring her anger. 

“Oh Loki by the way you two are engaged” he said flippantly 

Alina punched him square in the jaw. 

“Must be a painful memory to look back on” he replied, his lip bleeding as he grabbed her by the neck, using his other hand to touch her temple.

In front of her flashed every moment she had ever shared with Loki from them laughing and training on Asgard to their first kiss to their nights out with the avengers to the moment she had died in his arms. She gasped as she reeled backwards, losing her footing slightly. She stared at him wide eyed as he realised he had perhaps gone too far.

“Engaged…?” Loki asked, breaking the silence which had previously been filled by Alina’s heavy breathing 

She glanced to him, her eyes glassy from the weight of the memories before she took off down the nearest corridor. 

 

Loki glanced around him quickly before hastily following her, looking for answers. He caught up with her several halls down from the room her and Strange had been practicing in. 

“Hey!? What did Strange mean?” He asked, grabbing her arm and spinning her around 

“He was being an ass” she replied 

“You clearly seemed to react to it” 

“It’s nothing Loki” 

“Dont lie to me!” He raised his voice 

Losing her temper, Alina used the move Strange had just done to her, raising her fingers to Loki’s forehead she showed him everything. Once the reel of emotions, flashbacks and playbacks had finished he stepped back slightly in shock. He panted just as she had done and she stared up at him with glassy, tear filled eyes. 

“There. You wanted to know” she snarled 

“We were… you were” he somewhat stuttered 

“Happy… Yeah” 

“That’s why you have been so odd with me” 

She nodded 

“You’re mine?” 

“Not yours per say but” she trailed off, losing the will to explain it 

He took her hand gently in his own and used it to pull her in for a hug. It was needy and he held her tightly, swaying side to side a little as she squeezed his waist. She simply relented, too overwhelmed by the astral projecting and Strange’s douchebag actions to do much else. 

“It’s okay” he said against her hair 

“No it’s not. It’s really not” she muttered against his chest

They stood there for 10 minutes easily, wrapped in one anothers embrace. Exhaustion was beginning to set in. She was barely sleeping, switching realms had drained her mental and physical strength and Astral projecting just to get messages back in forth was exhausting her. Never in her life had she felt so vulnerable and weak in such an out of control situation that seemed to simply spiral no matter what. Her legs gave in and Loki took her weight, pulling her back up. 

“You need to rest” he lectured 

He sounded just like Reality 0 Loki and it only hurt more. She simply nodded, putting weight back on her legs and turning away from him. He walked down the hallway with her, watching her to make sure she did not simply faint. Reaching her door, she seemed to lean against it, considering everything that had just happened. 

Loki shook his head and opened the door, gently guiding her into the room. She sat on the bed. A weird empty feeling had taken over which was a combination of exhaustion, pain, emotional fraying and a feeling of her mental strength on low bars. Loki sat down next to her, not saying anything for a long while. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he said after a while

“I didn’t want to make it complicated. You found out in the first realm and… exploited it in cruel ways” she answered meekly 

“Im sorry” 

“It’s not your fault” 

“Well… I mean” 

She laughed a little and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her backwards onto the bed. 

“Just sleep. We can talk about this another time” he said, running his hands through her hair gently 

She usually would have argued, asked him to leave to avoid complications but exhaustion took over and the familiarity of his fingers in her drifted her off to sleep. Instinctively, she curled into him, placing one hand on his chest. He smiled a little. This companionship was an odd feeling to him. As she slept, he thought in great detail of the visions she had shown him and wondered what would happen if she ended up stuck here in this realm. 

Waking up the next day with Loki was a strange experience. He had not moved from their spot as she had expected him to and he followed her quietly as they were called to briefing. As she entered the room she was interested to see the Guardian’s standing there. 

“We have good reason to think Thanos isn’t far away. He has the Reality, Power and Soul Stones already and he’s coming for the other three” Peter was finishing off as she wandered into the room. 

The group looked up. The Guardian’s with unbridled curiosity.

“This is her?” Gamora asked Tony. It was clear there had been some discussion on her and her origins. 

Alina simply flashed her eyes reminiscent of the infinity stones as a response.

“How long do we have?” she asked, taking centre room

“Less than a day” Nebula responded

“Well in that case we -” she was cut off by a loud crash

“Ummm we have incoming” Widow shouted from over an energy field hologram 

Looking out the window, a spacecraft had attempted to break their shield only to have been destroyed.

“Good call with the shield” Steve commented

Alina glanced at him and with a wave, returned to her outfit that Peter had made her earning a surprised glance from the rest of the room. 

“He’s here. Keep Vision off the field and under no circumstances leave his side” Alina said, pointing to Wanda before exiting the balcony and jumping off into the grass below. 

At the shield were the remaining two of Thanos’ children. 

“We accept your surrender” Thor yelled

They sniggered, Proxima waving her hand to open the strange ships that had landed in the forest which surrounded them. The Outriders poured out, clawing and screeching at the shield. 

“What in the hell” Bucky muttered

Behind them, Thanos appeared in a flash of purple. 

“Alright let’s open this up” she said

“UH” Peter voiced everyone’s concerns 

Alina sighed

“If we don’t, these savages will circle round, get in through the back, kill vision and potentially spread into the city. If we let them in through a small gap however their focus will be there” 

“You’re mad” Strange said 

“Possibly”

“Open the shields Jarvis” Tony said 

The outriders began to pour in and the fight began. Alina noticed Loki was tailing her heavily, constantly watching her back. She was careful not to use the infinity stones until she reached Thanos. She was not willing to tip him off too early to the potential of her power and her existence. 

Slowly, she made her way through the Outriders to Thanos, who watched on, occasionally throwing back Shield agents with the gauntlet. As she made her way closer he looked to her and a look of slight interest crossed his face to see her wielding Dragonfang. Once she had got close enough for his liking, he raised the gauntlet but was stopped by her magic. He looked to her in surprise as she began an onslaught of attacks. 

Loki was right behind her, protecting her from any Outriders who dared come close as she battled the Titan. As she came close to winning, Corvus Glaive jumped from behind a line of outriders, spear ready to impale Alina. She had not seen him, all her efforts focussed on the mad Titan. 

Knowing what he had to do, Loki jumped also, intercepting the Order member’s path and taking the spear to the chest. It was at this moment that Alina shattered the Gauntlet around Thanos’ hand and drove Dragonfang through his throat. As he lay dying, the Outriders began to fade into nothing. She finished off Corvus and dove to Loki’s side. 

“Hey! Hey” she said, gently lifting his torso onto her lap

He was dripping blood from his mouth as Thor joined them, watching on sadly. 

“You’re gonna be okay” she continued, pushing down on his wound caused by the spear 

“Im sorry” he whispered 

“Nothing to be sorry for it’s okay” she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek

“You.. you have to.. You have to make it back… please.. Please don't leave me” he choked out 

“I’ll make it back, it’s okay I’ll make it back. God why did you do this?” She asked desperately 

“If you die… if you die here… you die in your reality too Ali” he said, using her pet name for the first time

She started to cry. 

“Here” he muttered, using the last of his strength to tap his two shiny blue and silver daggers. 

She picked them up questioningly. 

“Keep them. Remember” he whispered as she sheathed them into her thigh holster

“You’re an idiot” she said through her tears

“Your idiot” he smiled back, before his eyes went lifeless and his body limp.

Alina leant back on the grass which was littered with outrider’s body parts. An empty feeling took over as tears rolled down her face. The Soul Stone laid on the ground beside her, having rolled out of the destroyed piece of the gauntlet. As she put her hand back, to balance herself, she touched it. 

There was an orange flash and suddenly the battlefield disappeared. She was back in the Quantum Realm. Tears still on her face, she twisted around wildly, trying to figure out what had happened. Once more, she felt the all too familiar pulling feeling which took over her freewill to move. 

“NO NO come on, no more, not again” she cried out desperately, still in shock from watching Loki die in her arms. 

The feeling did not relent however and she was sucked downwards with no say, as if she was stuck in a never ending quicksand. She closed her eyes, not knowing what she would find this time. 

Her landing this time was much more gentle. Although she landed on metal, it seemed she had fallen from less of a height which she appreciated. Landing front down, she crawled onto her hands and knees only to be greeted by weapons in her face. 

Surrounding her was Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Tony, Bruce, Steve, Thor and Nat. No one but Natasha was dressed in her combat gear and the former 3 all had weapons pointed in her face. She gently put her hands up, looking around to realise she was in fact in one of the old model helicarriers. 

“Where in the absolute fuck did you come from?” Fury sounded everyone’s thoughts 

She was covered in blood and dust from the battle still and her face was tear traced.

“Ma’am, please put down the weapon” Coulson continued. 

She realised she was still holding dragonfang and slowly placed it on the ground with a clang. 

“You one of Loki’s?” Nat asked 

“One of Loki’s?” she asked, confused. Her head was spinning from the jarring change of scenery 

“No, I have not seen her before” Thor said, looking at the girl curiously 

“I’m… Alina” she said, a little defeated 

She waved her hand and exited her outfit, changing into plain black again. She made sure to send away Dragonfang and Loki’s daggers. 

“Yeah she’s one of Loki’s” Stark commented

“You know there are other magic users out there that aren’t loki right?” She questioned, realizing this must be pre New York attack 

Coulson bravely pulled her to her feet, gun still pointed on her. 

“Where did you come from?” Thor asked, looking down upon her 

She sighed, shaking her head which was still traced with blood, dust and tears. 

“Another reality Thor” 

“You know me?”

“In my own reality, and now several others, yes” she muttered, looking down

“Prove it” Stark said 

“Um Loki is about to open up the atmosphere over New York and lead an Alina army attack using the tesseract and the scepter, which has the mind stone in it” she replied

“You know of the infinity stones?” Thor asked 

“Oh boy” she replied, flashing her eyes orange, purple and green

He looked at her in shock. 

“I feel she speaks truth” he said, turning to the group who regarded her

While Coulson still had his gun pointed to her, he watched with the excitement of a child. 

“Sir. She appeared from nowhere, bypassed all our security, is… was.. heavily armed and knows a good deal of classified information it seems” Hill said, her gun still trained on Alina’s head

“Look she’s covered in blood and she’s clearly scared” Steve said gently 

“Could be a ruse” Stark pointed out 

“She’s not exactly trying to defend herself” Bruce added 

“Why would I? It’s a long story. I am not here to hurt you but… I understand the distrust” she sighed, her hands now lowered to her side

“Throw her in with the other one. We’ll decide what to do once we’ve dealt with Barton” Fury ordered

The other one? She thought to herself worriedly. Surely they were not referring to Banner’s other half. 

As she was escorted out of the room by Coulson and a few other Shield agents, the Avengers watched on curiously.

She was taken down hallways, past labs were Shield agents peered out of curiously as she was marched towards a large steel grey door. She knew the helicarrier plans well, this was for the Hulk. However, Banner had not come with them so she remained confused as the doors slid open to reveal the large glass cage she recognised from the files. 

However, it was not empty. Loki turned from his position faced away from them and regarded her with a smile. He looked somewhat more haggard than the Loki’s she had met. His hair was long and slicked back and his eyes were sunken in. He held an aura of formidable cunning to him as Coulson marched her towards the cage. 

“We bought you a friend” Fury said, appearing from behind her and opening the cage to be pushed in by the SHIELD agents, the door hastily shutting behind her. She turned immediately to look at Coulson and Fury. 

“You try anything. You so much as scratch that glass and…” he trailed off as he opened the doors to the drop below

She looked at him with a slightly worried look on her face. 

“Sir, what if they try to kill one another?” Coulson asked as they began to leave the room

“Let them” he replied with a shrug

As the door snapped shut behind them, silence rang in the air. Slowly, Alina turned to Loki who was smirking at her from the opposite side of the cage. 

“Now, what did you do to get locked up in here with me?” his voice was nothing like the Loki she knew. It was dark and taunting and he looked at her as if she was a game to be played

“It’s a rather long story” she said defensively 

“Well, there is not much else to do in here” he commented, taking a jaunting step toward her

“I’d rather not”

“Well I am not giving you the choice” he smiled, taking another few steps closer to her. 

The juxtaposition between the last realities Loki, who had died in her arms, and Reality #5’s Loki, was dizzying. This Loki was threatening, cunning, dominant and hungry. She instinctively backed up against the glance. 

From the briefing table, the Avengers watched. 

“Jesus Nick she’s a kid…” Steve said, watching the video recording

“Im starting to think that leaving her in there was not our best idea” Tony added as they watched her back up against the glass, clearly afraid.

“My brother is not of reason… I fear what may happen” Thor supported 

“She bypassed ALL of our security features, appeared armed and demonstrated abilities with magic. She stays in that cage until we figure out what the hell is going on” Fury said 

 

In their cell, Loki quickly approached her. He was standing less than a metre in front of her as he spoke this time. 

“Well then, pet, have you forgotten how to speak?” he leered 

She swallowed nervously as he smirked at her. Slowly, she began to speak. 

“Well, Loki -”

“You know my name?” he asked, shocked and intrigued 

“Well if you’d let me finish you’d know why” she snapped back

He raised an eyebrow but did not say anything, instead gesturing for her to continue. 

“Im from a different reality. One were yourself, and the rest of the Avengers plus more exist. In that reality, I got thrown into the Quantum Realm and stuck there. It started sucking me into other realities. This is my 5th one now that I’ve entered and I seemingly have no control over where I end up or when I leave them” 

“You would be dead if that were to be true” 

“And… I have all the Infinity Stones.” 

“Impossible. Do you really think you could lie to the God of Lies you mewling quim” 

She flashed her eyes purple at him and took a step forward. He took one back, she then flashed them green and he took another step back, then golden, Orange, blue until he had stepped back enough that he was the one pushed against the glass. Watching on, the Avengers glanced to one another. 

“How?” he questioned simply 

“I beat Thanos” she replied 

“What?” she snarled 

“I know this is why you’re doing this… for Thanos. In my reality, we beat him” 

“That does not explain how a mere mortal girl is wielding the Infinity Stones. Not even an Asgardian can do that” 

“Not even… Odin?” she questioned, knowing this would trigger both him and Thor to wonder how she knew of their father 

“No…” 

“Well for one, Im not mortal. I’m a Celestial” she hissed 

“They were extinct long ago you pathetic -” 

She turned her eyes starry blue, looking at him with no pupils. Returning to normal, she began to speak. 

“And that’s why I am locked in here with you” 

“Oh dear I never thought I’d be delivered such treats” he smirked, his taunting demeanor returning as he lazily pushed himself off the wall 

“You can escape” she pointed out 

He looked to her quizzically 

“Oooh smart girl” 

She lazily changed her outfit; adding a leather jacket to prove a point. 

“I understand magic. I know you can easily escape this cage Loki so why don’t you?” 

The Avengers looked to Nick Fury who was watching with a grave look on his face. 

“Because, let’s just say, I enjoy the company” he replied, tilting her head up with one finger.

He tilted his head as he looked at her. 

“Tears?” he smirked, noticing the traces in her dirt and blood smeared face

“They’re not for you” she growled

“My my it does seem like you’ve had some fun” he replied, eyeing up her bloody face 

“Well killing Thanos a second time around was always fun” she replied meekly 

He looked at her curiously. What an interesting woman, and a potentially useful one. 

“Hmm and yet the mighty Avengers, Earth’s protectors, lock you up here, with me?” he smirked 

“Believe me if I had a choice I would not be in here” she muttered 

“Come now, don’t be so unfavourable. You could make an exceptionally useful companion” 

“I’m not helping you murder people, Loki. You’re better than this you fool” 

“Earth NEEDS a ruler. It craves subjugation” 

“No. You just crave a throne like the misguided idiot that you are” she yelled back 

He repealed a little at her response. 

“What would you know you pathetic excuse for a being” 

“More than you think you useless demi god. If you think you need a throne then you’re more of a blithering idiot than I ever took you for. You don’t need a throne you need a family you stupid, arrogant -” 

She was cut off as he slammed her against the glass by her throat, lifting her off her feet as she struggled slightly against his grip. 

“You think you KNOW what is happening here you naive girl?” he hissed with such force and anger that Alina was taken by surprised 

It was here which Thor burst into the room, watching from the video he had decided enough was enough. 

“You put her down Loki!” he demanded, approaching the glass

Loki dropped her and she hit the ground, gasping desperately for air and black spots blinding her vision as she propped herself up on her hands and knees. 

“Oh brother how kind of you to visit” he smiled 

“No more games Loki. You leave the girl be” 

“Or… what…? You’ll… drop us? Both of us Thor?” he replied as Fury entered the room along with the other Avengers 

He kicked Alina in the chest, sending her back down as she attempted to stand up. 

“Loki you shall not-” Thor began 

“Not what?! You put her in here with me. She’s mine” he hissed

Distracted by Thor, Loki did not see Alina getting back on her feet. As he turned to kick her back down again, she moved with agility and suddenly had him on the ground with two daggers crossed at his throat. 

His back was against the glass as he sat, her knee of his chest and the daggers she had appear from thin air milimetres from slicing his jugular. The room was silent. 

“You are an arrogant fool. You don’t deserve a throne. You’ve never deserved a throne and you never will you stupid, self-important god” 

“Are those my daggers?” he commented breathily, looking up at her

“Yes. Another reality’s you gifted them to me and for good measure it seems” she snarled 

“Me? Gift those to a silly girl. I doubt it” he smirked 

“Believe it or not Loki there are universes out there where you exist as a better man” she replied 

“Define ‘better’?” he said, his voice still breathy from the shock of her sudden attack

“You are still cunning and mischievous but you have humility. You have a family” she choked out 

“Trying to trick the God of mischief are we?” he smirked 

“No it seems you are so good at your role that you’ve tricked yourself you idiot” she replied, finally pulling back from him and walking to the other side of the cage. 

“Oh miss -” 

“It’s Agent” Alina replied, causing everyone in the room to reconsider her

“It’s Agent Alina Everton - or alternatively Doctor” she continued, looking Fury in the eye

“How?” 

“In my reality I am SHIELD. And I have a phd so that makes me a doctor” she explained plainly 

“What in?” Banner asked 

“Forensic pathology” 

“Is that really important right now?” Fury commented 

Alina shrugged. To her left, Loki was beginning to walk towards her. She used a blast of purple magic to send him flying back into the glass causing it to crack ever so slightly.

“Stay. Pet.” she growled, using his little nickname from earlier 

“Is this love, Agent Everton?” he smiled, pulling himself off the ground 

If only he knew. 

“Love is for children.” she replied calmly as she allowed him this time to stand

“You are but a child yourself” he commented

“Im 28” she replied evenly 

“Nothing in the lives of Gods” 

“Actually, I’ve worked it out before, lakeey and you’re younger than I in human terms” 

“It’s Loki” he smirked 

“Is it?” she replied, annoyed and trying to keep her cool

He grabbed her wrist roughly. In a flash, he viewed a small portion of her memories: 

 

Fighting Thanos both times, her laughing with the Avengers, Demetri Aliyev and his dungeon of torture, her partner dying taking a bullet for her, himself teaching her on Asgard, her snapping the Shadows neck. All these memories came in a flash. She was lucky enough this time to have the foresight to block the ones that showed his and hers relationship. As they exited the vision, he stared at her, his hand still firmly on her wrist. 

“My my… while we’re talking about ledgers” he said with a small glance to Widow 

“Do not start” she muttered

“And why is that, Miss Everton? Because you have killed? Because people have died for you? Who was that, you partner who died due to your foolish mistake? Your ledger is dripping red with the mistakes of your past” he smiled 

“And so what does that make yours?” she asked 

“I do not deny my ledge, pretend to be a saviour as you do” 

“Don’t you? It seems to me like you’ve done some pretty heavy justifying” 

He laughed, a small chuckle. 

“And what of you? To pretend for the greater good? For a warm light for mankind? LIES. You were but a weapon” 

“And here I am trying to justify myself to the God who is killing hundreds without remorse. For what?” 

“So you defend these fools and their quest for power?!” he snarled 

“You are on that same quest!” she replied 

“What quest for power?” Steve questioned

Both Alina and Loki glanced to them, losing the intensity of their private argument. Alina looked between the group before shrugging. 

“If this reality is anything like my own then SHIELD plans to use the tesseract to build weapons” Alina replied 

“Is this true?” Stark asked turning to Fury

Fury sighed, glaring at Alina and in tandem Loki who was laughing a little as he looked down slightly at the woman. 

“Yes” 

“Fury!” Steve began 

“Why?” Nat asked 

“Because of him” he said pointing to Thor

“Me?” 

“Thor held a grudge match that levelled a small town. It was clear to us that we were woefully out matched, and out gunned” 

“The tesseract and it’s use here on Earth has been a signal to other realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war!” Thor replied 

“My my this truly is more interesting than I planned it to be” Loki commented, as he stood arms folded beside Alina as they watched an argument breakout. 

“Shut up” she replied, also watching the arguing happen

He smirked at her and as he did so there was a loud bang and the ship began to tilt sideways. Everyone froze. 

“We’ve got an engine down and we’ve got incoming” Maria called out over the comms 

“Barton” Fury replied

“Go!” Steve yelled as they all began to run to their respective places 

“We’ll deal with you two later” Fury said before they exited the room and were left alone again. 

“I am impressed” Loki said, with some conviction as they turned to one another 

“That was unintentional” she replied angrily 

“All the same, you are proving to be very useful” 

There was another loud bang and the ship began to tip more. Suddenly an agent came running in with Loki’s scepter. 

“Sir!” he yelled 

“Well done” Loki replied, opening the cage door with a wave of his hand 

Alina looked to him incredulously. He must have some form of mind control over the agent. He looked to her in a considering manner. 

“You’re not going any-” she began but was interrupted as he brought his fingers to her temple forcefully. After this, all she saw was blackness. 

He picked her up roughly over one shoulder, using his other hand to take the scepter from the agent and promptly dismissing him. Once he had reached his jet, he lightly hopped on and laid the woman down on the ground. As he gestured for the pilot to get them out of there, he considered the woman’s limp body. She was powerful, knowledgeable and could prove to be an excellent asset should he manage to convince her to his persuasion.


	14. Stark Tower

She began waking up, realising she was in a plane of somesort. She only managed to roll herself over before she felt a hand on her head and she was promptly knocked out again. 

The next time she woke up, she noted she was on a cold, hard floor. She could hear many voices around her and the buzzing of equipment. As she came to, she propped herself up onto her elbows with a groan. 

“You’re quite resistant to my magic” she heard Loki’s voice ring out 

Her head felt weirdly clouded and her all over feeling was one of sedation. She could barely get herself up let alone take a lunge at the God who had clearly kidnapped her. 

“Mmf” was all she could groan out as she attempted and failed to get further than her knees

“I had to use some very strong magic to keep you asleep” he continued, watching her from a chair he was sitting on. 

As she looked around she realised she was in some sort of underground facility which was reminiscent of an old tunnel way. She could see people bustling about what appeared to be a research facility. She felt a feeling of panic which seemed to be buried by the sedation she was suffering from. 

“Where are we?” she managed to force out 

“That is need to know” Loki smiled, as she managed to use the wall beside her to pull herself up.

As she did so he placed the scepter on her chest. She felt a strange choking feeling as her mind stone interacted with the one of this reality.

“Ah I -” she stuttered before she felt a strange sense of calm

“Hm it does not seem to work quite so well on you” he mused 

She didn’t say anything, slowly forgetting why she was there or why he was a threat. 

“It will do though. Come” he laughed 

She did as she was told, following him as he began to walk around the facility. She didn’t really know why. She didn’t want to. 

“Prep the jet. We need to leave soon” Loki instructed a worker  
The worker nodded and hurried off 

Where were they talking about? How many days had she been unconscious for? 

“How long have I been -?” she managed 

“Just under a week” Loki smiled, hands behind his back

She looked to him with wide eyes as she realised that must be why she felt so weak and disoriented. Looking around, she realised the situation she must be in but failed to act on it. As the worker came back to notify Loki that everything was prepped, she wondered whether she was going to be sucked into another reality before anything terrible happened. 

//

It had been over a week this time without hearing from Alina - the longest they had gone without a visit. Given her sudden disappearance with Strange the last time they saw her, they worried deeply for the worst. 

Thor was noticing the worry beginning to eat away at his brother as he continued to pace hallways and rooms, searching for an answer to finding Alina. The doctors were making progress, slowly managing to reopen the Quantum Realm however even they acknowledged that would be no good unless Alina could reaccess the Quantum Realm from those alternate realities that she seemed to keep getting dragged into. They had theorized this could be something to do with the stones, attempting to take her back to her original universe and away from the alternate versions of themselves that existed. 

“We need to distract Reindeer Games, he’s seriously dampening the mood” Tony commented to Thor one evening 

“Yes, Loki tends to get lost in his own thoughts however I know someone who could help” 

“Oh please do not tell me he has some fucked up friend?” Tony asked, looking at Thor with exasperation. He had enough gods, assassins and scientists housed in this place already without adding more. 

“If you consider our mother such a thing, then yes” Thor asked 

“Your mom?” Nat questioned with an incredulous tone. They had all met Odin and Frigga however the relationships between them and their mother had never really been brought to much light. 

“Loki has a stronger bond with our mother than any of us that he has grown up with. I hope that she will instill a sense of calm in him that we fail to do” 

“To be fair buddy, we’re all pretty worried. We haven’t heard from Ali in a week and a half” Clint added 

“And rightly so” said a woman’s voice who proved to be Frigga’s as she entered the room, the warriors 3 in tow

“Mother! Friends! How have you been?” Thor greeted them with a grin, hugging his mother. 

“Uuuuuuh” Tony mouthed, pointing slightly at the group 

“TONY! There’s something incoming” banner yelled, running into the room

“Yeah, it’s already in” Tony said, gesturing to Thor’s little party 

“I swear we sorted this last year” Banner replied in defeat

“We may have forgotten to finish that security system” Tony commented in response 

“Mother?” Loki said as he entered the room from his hourly pace around the tower. Himself and Thor returned to Asgard often so he found it strange that his mother should come all this way unless the news was urgent. As if he needed anymore unsettling news, he thought dryly. 

“Loki… Thor sent word of the predicament” she began 

Loki glanced to Thor with raised eyebrows and a somewhat exasperated look on his face. Of course Thor did. 

“I cannot believe you managed to lose the future Queen of Asgard” Fandral said in disbelief 

Volstagg nudged Fandral gently as he saw a look of worry cross Loki’s face. Fandral attempted to amend his statement. 

“I mean, I am sure she’s fine, she’s more than capable! What’s more she wields the Infinity gems!” he laughed

“Perhaps all the more reason to get her back, my friend” Thor commented 

“Heimdall cannot see her” Frigga replied gently, as she took Loki’s arm, guiding him towards the rooftop balcony. Looking out over New York, safely away from the crowding of the others, she continued to speak. 

“Thor warned me of your unsettled nature. Why did you not contact us sooner with such a problem?” 

“There is nothing you can do. It seemed ill-informed to contact you of what we thought would have a quick resolution”

“A quick resolution?” Frigga replied with a knowing smile

“We were wrong” 

“So it seems. What do you plan to do my son?” 

“I don’t know mother. I just want to know she is safe and well until we can find a resolution” he sighed, looking out over the sun setting on New York

// 

Still somewhat under Loki’s influence, Alina followed him onto the jet and to Stark tower with no resistance. They didn’t seem to be doing much, Loki positioned a rather bewildered Erik Selvig on the roof with the tesseract and then brought her and himself onto the large platform balcony that came out from the lounge and bar. She stood next to him, looking out over New York.

“So tell me, witchling, to what is the outcome of my endeavours in your reality?” 

She glanced to him, still overcome by an inability to fight back. 

“You go to prison” she replied, her voice wavering in her weakness

“Thankfully this is not your reality” he noted, as a red object came hurtling towards them. Alina soon realised this was Stark, as he landed above them and put out his thrusters. 

 

“Inside” Loki commanded to her

For a moment she could not move. There was a tiny bit of fight rising in her that told her she should take him down, knock him out, do anything to neutralise the situation. Noticing her resistance, he roughly took her wrist and guided her inside. Tony noticed this, and the scepter and immediately felt some concern for the woman whose behaviour had drastically changed since she had been on the shield helicarrier. 

Being dragged inside, she stood next to Loki as Stark entered the room. 

“Drink?” Stark asked, pouring himself some whiskey. Alina’s sharp eyes noticed him putting on his stereotype wrist cuffs. She remained silent. 

“Stalling will get you nowhere” Loki chuckled 

“Stalling? Me? No, you see I just thought you maybe hadn’t looked after the woman you kidnapped”   
“She came with me as an ally” Loki lied 

“Really? We have the security footage and I wouldn’t say being knocked unconscious and dragged from the ship could be classified as being an ally” Stark snarked 

“Does she offer such resistance now?” Loki asked 

“She seems pretty mindcontrolled to me buddy” Stark replied 

“Well, if we are speaking of mind control” Loki smiled, stepping forward with the scepter lightly in his hand. 

Stark stared at him as Loki placed it on his chest. 

‘Tink!’ 

Nothing. 

‘Tink’ 

Still nothing. 

“Huh. This usually works” Loki said, looking at the scepter 

“Well, you know, performance issues. 1 in 4 actually -” Stark quipped before being cut off by Loki grabbing him by the throat and tossing him across the room.

“No matter. There are other ways to resolve such an issue” 

As a fight broke out, it progressed towards the outside platform area which Stark had set up to remove his Iron Man suit. Still standing perfectly still, Alina felt her brain reboot. Suddenly, the fogginess that had encompassed her cleared and she shook her head at the dizzying effect. 

Seeing Tony and Loki fighting, clearly distracted, she ducked up the stairs to the roof where she had seen Erik setting up the Tesseract. Erik looked up as she approached, concerned and clearly ready to stop her. 

“No hard feelings Selvig” she muttered, knocking him out with a clean hit

Continuing forward she reached the blue shield like barrier made by the tesseract’s energy. 

“You’ll never breach it without the scepter” Thor yelled as he jumped down from the quinjet 

Alina looked at him and shook her head. She didn’t need the scepter. Activating the mind stone, she pushed her hand straight through the barrier, much to Thor’s clear surprise. Taking hold of the tesseract, she yanked it with as much force as was left in her and pulled it from its resting place. The blue shield broke as she held it in her hands, below the fighting had stopped and both Stark and Loki raced the reach her position. As Loki moved toward her, Thor planted himself firm inbetween them. 

“You shall leave the lady be” 

“Thor she has the tesseract” Loki hissed 

“And she is doing far less damage than you” Thor replied 

As the three began to argue, Alina remembered what had happened in her other reality when she had touched the soul stone. Coursing all her energy into activating the power stone, she used it to crush the tesseract into dust in her hand. The sound of the shattering caused the arguing to stop and they whipped around to find her holding the space stone delicately in her hand. 

“That’s impossible” Thor said

She began to feel the same weightless feeling she did whenever she began to fade from other realms and she gently put the space stone onto what was left of the contraption she had pulled it from. 

“Bye” she said in a half whisper, exhausted from Loki’s enchantments and the energy taken to remove the tesseract. 

Gently, she faded to a gold dust leaving Stark, Loki and Thor watching on in shock.


	15. Enhanced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Nara :P

This time, she couldn’t even keep her eyes open in the Quantum Realm. As she felt the weightlessness envelope her body, she allowed it to simply take over as her eyes fell shut and she felt the spiraling weightlessness of being pulled downwards under the current of space and time. 

She didn’t manage to regain consciousness on impact, although she certainly felt it. However, she quickly relented to the feeling of exhaustion and fell back into a sleep without care for where she may be or what may happen. 

When she did finally wake again, she realised she was on a bed of sorts. It was soft and comfortable and made finally waking and checking her surroundings a chore. Groaning, and noting the bruising she must have sustained upon hitting the ground, she rolled onto her side and propped herself up. Where she appeared to be was desolate and unkept. Things appeared mismatched and rundown. As she swung her legs off the bed, the door opened and a young woman stood there. 

She had long black hair that was plaited back messily, leaving bits and pieces over her ears and around her face and big brown eyes. She wore all black, pants, shirt, jacket and boots, the exception being the tattered grey shawl she around her neck and shoulders. Alina also noted the two guns strapped to her waist and what looked to be a hunting knife.

“Good to see you’re awake. We weren’t sure if you’d been left for dead when we found ya” the woman said. 

The way she stood indicated she had a bit of fight to her and her confidence indicated some sort of leadership. 

“Uh…” Alina began, still looking around the room she was in 

“Oh, I’m Nara by the way and I head this sector” 

“Alina… and sector of what?” 

“The outlanders. That’s what we call ourselves anyway. We were doing a scouting mission when we found you, unconscious and unresponsive half in a puddle” Nara responded as Alina stood up. 

“Where am i?” she asked, still not recognising her surroundings 

“New new york” Nara answered, opening the door for her and gesturing her to exit the room 

As she passed the woman, Alina gave her a considering look. 

“NEW new york?” she asked 

“Yeah? God how hard did you hit your head?” Nara questioned, looking at Alina like this should all be relevant information to her. 

Alina followed her down a metal hallway which was all but falling apart, held up only by other pieces of metal fashioned into pipes. Nara pushed a door at the other end, which she put her full weight into as it opened. Curiously, Alina followed her through, looking around her for any clue of where she might be.

Her thoughts did not last long however as she was greeted by a group of people, all of whom were sitting in a dug in pit with a few, very old couches in it. To the side of the room was a sort of makeshift kitchenette area and the rest of the room seemed to be lino flooring in the shape of tiles which were tearing and pulled up at the corners. 

“Ah so the sleeping one is in fact alive” one of the men laughed. He was young but had silver hair and bright blue eyes. 

“Lay off, she seems to have hit her head pretty hard” Nara replied 

“How hard?” A girl, who couldn’t have been older than 16, asked 

“Hard enough to ask me what new new york is” Nara laughed 

The silver haired man stood up as she said this and took a step towards Alina. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her face. She jumped back in shock. 

“Wow she must’ve hit her head real hard” he said, peering down at her 

“What the fuck?” Alina asked the room 

“Oh yeah this is pietro, he’s fast” Nara waved somewhat dismissively 

“Nara! Do we really think it’s wise showing off our abilities in front of her? She may be a warden?” A young man with orange hair asked 

“Relax. She has no tracking chip in her like the Wardens do and she’s genuinely clueless it seems” Nara shrugged 

“Wardens? Ok does someone want to tell me where the hell I am and what the hell is going on?” Alina asked, staring at the strange rag tag group in front of her 

“You really don’t know do you?” Pietro said, seeming somewhat curious at her obvious confusion 

“This is so weird” said the young girl who had asked how hard she had hit her head 

“This is Cybil by the way” Nara said, gesturing to the teen who gave a small wave 

“And I am Aidan” said the orange haired man 

“This is Barrett” Aidan gestured to a well built man leant in the armchair who was grinning to the room 

“And I am Jasper” said a man with dirty blonde hair pulled back in small bun which like Nara, left bits of his hair flopping messily around his face. He was giving her a curious look, his head tilted. 

“And what the hell is happening?” Alina asked 

“Ooh boy, you better sit down for this one” Barrett laughed, patting the couch loudly 

Nara nodded to Alina who gently sat down on the edge of a seat. 

“Explain everything from the very start. Where are we? Why does this place look so run down? Who are you people? What are wardens?” Alina began rambling off questions 

“Okay well you’re in New new york for starters. It’s where New York used to be before the regime” Nara began 

“What regime?” 

“You seriously don’t know about the regime?” Pietro asked, speeding back over to his seat. 

“The regime was the attack made by the avengers to put a stop to any enhanced beings… To eradicate them… It spiraled further and further with their power with relentless attacks that killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed cities” Cybil said quietly 

“The Avengers… did that? Why?” Alina asked in shock of what she was hearing 

“Because this weird… Event happened. A few enhanced lost control and had to be killed as a result. But the public saw them as a threat to them. The Avengers said they couldn’t risk more destruction, after the original new york attacks and sokovia, so they signed some accords which allowed them to remove enhanced beings. It spiraled out of control. Soon bombs were being dropped in order to eradicate where they thought enhanced might be hiding, killing hundreds and destroying entire blocks” Jasper continued solemnly 

“The wardens are humans - mostly SHIELD working under the Avengers. Their job is to scan the streets, searching for any enhanced and capturing them where they are taken to be tested on and then killed” Nara finished bitterly 

“And you guys are… enhanced?” Alina asked

“Yeah. Im the speedy one, as you can see. Cybil over here has mad telekinesis skills, Aidan can control fire, Barrett is super strong if you couldn’t have guessed and near invincible, Jasper can read your mind and other freaky shit and our Nara has super heightened senses and reactions” Pietro replied, throwing an apple up and catching it with one hand. 

“And the Avengers? Are they still alive? Who is part of them?” Alina further questioned, absolutely shocked at the difference of this reality to the others 

“Unfortunately yes… You’ve got Thor, he’s basically a god and is unrelenting in his power and anger. Then you’ve got Stark, billionaire, realist or so he claims and ex weapons dealer so he knows what he’s doing, Steve Rogers who is technically enhanced himself I guess but somehow gets off scotch free on some greater good card, Loki - thor’s half brother, joined a bit later but is cruel and there have been many stories of his tortures of captured enhanced, Clint Barton who’s a shield agent and master marksman, you won't even see him coming - or his arrow at least. Then you’ve got Black Widow, she runs most of the testing and torture in the facilities. Growing up Russian red room style gives her some special techniques. And how could I forget, Bruce Banner - or Hulk - as he permanently is known by now. He gets… angry…. Fast” Barrett gave the rundown 

“So what’s your deal?” Nara asked, sitting on the opposite arm of a couch 

“I don’t know how to explain it in a way that doesn’t sound crazy” Alina said, somewhat nervous of her situation 

“Trust me when I say, nothing you tell us could be crazy at this point” Jasper smirked 

She looked around the room, uncertain on whether to tell the truth. Their situation seemed pretty dire but she could relate to them on the aspect of being somewhat enhanced. 

“I’m from another reality… Which sounds crazy, I know. But in that reality we opened a portal into a realm in which time and space mingles and I got stuck in and pulled into different realities. This isn’t my first one to have gotten stuck in, it’s more like the 6th or 7th but the other ones were much more similar to my own. I don’t have any control on where I end up however…” She trailed off

“Huh… explains why you appeared from nowhere” Pietro shrugged, taking a bite of his apple 

The others nodded in agreement. 

“You don’t find that… completely crazy?” Alina asked in a state of mild disbelief

“Nah I mean, look at the group of us, if anything we’re the crazy ones” Barrett grinned 

“Um, yeah about that…” Alina trailed off gently 

“What?” Aidan asked in a tenderly concerned voice

“Don’t be afraid” Alina warned before she flicked her eyes purple and blasted Barrett back off his couch, before using the mind stone to send the couch to catch him and bring him back to where the couch was seated to begin with 

“No way you’re enhanced too!!” Cybil cried out 

“She’s a sorcerer… and a powerful one by the looks of it” Nara commented with a grin 

“That explains why I cannot read her thoughts” Jasper said, his confused look now fading to one of quiet consideration, a small smirk playing on his lips. 

“Well it’s a good job we picked you up off the street then… Otherwise if the Warden’s had found you first it would’ve been far from pleasant” Pietro pointed out through his bites of his apple  
“How did you find me?” Alina asked, waving her hand and changing into the outfit Peter had made her a few realities back. It seemed to suit the situation. 

“That’s dope” Barrett grinned 

“We were doing a food scout and you were just there on the ground in a back alley” Nara answered 

“How does this work for you guys? Evading these wardens and avoiding capture?” 

“Well, there are other enhanced living out here, us living in hiding call ourselves the Outlanders. When SHIELD and the Avengers, as well as the public, began to hunt us, we split off into groups. It’s harder to find us if we’re not all together” 

“And of your powers?” Alina asked 

“We discovered them at different times. Cybil was the last to discover hers. She’s 15 and discovered them 6 months after the regime began. Scared of what her parents would do if they found out, or if SHIELD found out first, she ran. We picked her up” Nara shrugged 

“And I thought the last reality was bad” Alina muttered 

“What was the last reality?” Aidan questioned 

“Uh SHIELD imprisoned me and then Loki held me captive”

“Doesn’t sound that different to this one then” Pietro picked his nails 

“Oh boy it doesn’t even begin to compare to this one. At least the other ones weren’t post apocalyptic, evil avengers or whatever is happening here” Alina replied 

“So, can you get home?” Jasper asked 

“No. Well yes and no. I need to get back into the Quantum Realm, without getting sucked into another reality, so that I can then find my own reality. But I am having trouble getting back to that realm” she shrugged 

“Well until then, you might as well roll with us” Nara grinned

“A sorcerer could come in handy” Barrett input, mirroring Nara’s grin as they fist bumped 

“How long ago did you discover your… abilities?” AIdan asked 

“About a year and a half ago” Alina nodded 

“So you’re still a young one too” Jasper mused, eyeing her up and down 

“Hey, why don’t I take newbie here on a rookie food scavenge? It’s low level and it’ll give her a chance to assess the uh… damage” Nara smiled, for lack of better words

“As long as you come back with food” Pietro replied, throwing his apple core into a makeshift bin on the far corner of the room. 

“Least she’s dressed for it” Aidan continued 

“Alright… Alina, c’mon” Nara gestured that they exit the room again 

Walking out and back down the hallway, she began to speak. 

“We try to do food scavenges every 3 days or so, in different groups of 2 each time. Helps us stay fed, practice our stealth, take out some wardens and keeps us low key” she explained, climbing through a hatch in the roof. 

Alina followed her nimbly, realising that they had emerged into the sewer system, which was surprisingly very empty, a few shrubs randomly growing here and there. Covering the hatch up again, Nara began to lead Alina through the tunnel system.

“No one ever looks down here. The Wardens scouted it early on and figured nobody could live down here because of the… smell and what not. Little did they know that Barrett and aidan forged that hole in the ground and we’ve been down here for years with not even the other enhanced being able to find us” she said, her boots sloshing through the water 

“Huh, good hiding spot” Alina commented as she continued to follow Nara up a ladder

They emerged into a deserted alleyway occupied by only a dumpster which appeared relatively unused. It didn’t seem too out of the ordinary for New York, Alina thought idly as she surveyed around her. As they crept towards the entrance of the alleyway however, she soon took this thought back. 

Peering out from around the corner, Alina saw the destruction the New York she recognised had undergone. Buildings were sat exposed like skeletons, obviously from bombing. There were large potholes in what once were roads and shrubs, small trees and vines grew heavily around the skeletons of the buildings that were left. It too was quiet, mirroring the death effect which the buildings were exuding. In the distance, Alina could see what was left of the Avengers tower. The A hung off it on an angle and the building was scorched up one side of it. A number of windows were smashed and there seemed to be some sort of graffiti up the side. 

Nara pulled her grey hood up and Alina mirrored her in teal. They crept along the street, ducking into alleyways every now and again to maintain some cover. 

 

“We’re heading towards where civilians still live. That’s where you find the food” Nara smiled from under her hood 

Alina nodded and they continued along. After 10 minutes, and several blocks, they reached a block which seemed less destroyed by comparison, although still extremely shabby. Nara began to climb up the old drainage pipe on the side and beckoned for Alina to follow. It seemed to be late afternoon and who ever lived in the apartment was not present. They quickly raided the cupboards, putting food into a bag which Nara hung from one shoulder and jumped back out the window, skirting back down the side streets. 

“Quick and Easy, see? Now we always make sure we use a different entrance to the sewers than the one we came out of. It attracts less attention” Nara grinned as they continued

This smile was wiped off as they rounded a corner into an alley only to be greeted Steve Rogers. He was in the Captain america suit Alina recognised him from, except it was so dark blue it was nearly black now and the star had been clearly torn off. Nara froze. She should of sensed him with her heightened hearing but she had been so distracted at explaining to Alina their antics that she had forgotten to check. 

“Now it seems we were right in thinking our radars had picked up a powerful blast of energy recently” Steve said, his tone dark 

Alina realised he must be talking about her entrance into this reality. She glanced to Nara, who was frozen to the spot. 

“What? We were just collecting some food from our grandmother” Alina lied quickly 

“Is that so? Then you wont mind turning over your trackers for inspection?” Steve said, clearly seeing through her lie 

Alina glanced to Nara who simply mouthed one word. 

Run. 

They took off from the alley, Rogers hot on their tail. When it felt like they’d, lost them, Stark landed right in front of them. His Iron Man suit was still red but somewhat tarnished and clunkier than the one she grew to knew him in. 

“Going somewhere? It’s been a while since we’ve caught some enhanced. I was beginning to think we’d run out of them” he said from under his armour, as Steve caught up behind them. 

“Go fuck yourself, Stark” Nara snarled  
Stark raised his blasters at her and fired. Alina was quick to activate her magic, bringing up a shield which swiftly stopped Stark’s blaster. 

“Two enhanced even” Steve smiled, hurling his shield at Alina’s head

She caught it with one hand before dropping it to the ground and sending a powerful purple blast out on either side of herself and Nara. It blew Stark and Steve off their feets, knocking Steve out on a building and ruining Stark’s blasters. Nara took her hand, and they ran for it, this time not being followed by the two who were still coming around from the blast. As they reached a different alleyway, Nara used her senses to scan for anyone near. Deeming it safe, they jumped back into the sewer system. 

They felt a little safer as they crept along quietly, Nara scanning for movement above them on the street and within the sewage system itself. Eventually, after a significantly longer walk, they reached their hatch and slid down it back into the underground home that the group of enhanced had created. 

Coming back into the living room, Pietro began to cheer as he saw the bag of food. This quickly dropped as he saw Alina and Nara’s out of breath faces and frightened looks. Nara quickly explained what happened. 

“They must’ve tracked her energy as she arrived in this realm” 

“We have to get rid of her!” Cybil said, afraid 

“No. It wasn’t her fault and it was a one off . They would’ve been canvasing the city more thoroughly because of it, that’s all” Jasper said, logically. 

“You did good out there” Nara said 

“Did she use some mad sorcerey skills?” Barrett asked with a grin

“Yeah actually, she totally destroyed Stark and Rogers with one blast! And she caught Rogers shield!” Nara grinned back, doing a complicated handshake with Barrett

“Seems like we lucked in then” Aidan smiled 

“Well I guess I had to repay you for not leaving me in the street to die somehow” Alina smiled back, but her mind was on the worries that came with this universe. Tony and Steve had truly tried to kill her today, it was important she did not get overly emotional in this realm. 

As she was pulled into conversation by Jasper, she shared a smile at Nara across the room. They had made a pretty good team today. She hoped that she would not need to find out how they would have to fight the other Avengers in the future.


	16. Quantum Generator

They laid low for the next week. They had enough food to last them up to a month if they had to and they decided it was best to let the heat die down from their near enrapturement by Steve and Tony. It was day 6 in what they called ‘the hole’, they were sat around in the couches eating nachos which Barrett had made. Alina had grown to like the ragtag group of people that had rescued her. She got on particularly well with Nara, who she often spoke to and shared looks with across the room whenever one of the boys would say or do something stupid.

“So, what’s your reality like?” Pietro asked, loudly chewing his chip 

“Uhh New York still exists for one” Alina smiled 

This earned laughs all around. They remembered when New York was still a thing for them too, although they were young. 

“And I mean, the Avengers aren’t bad guys in my universe. They are hugely annoying though” Alina laughed

“That would be so weird” Cybil commented 

“It’s weirder to see them be.. Bad, i guess. Every other reality I have been in they’re mostly good” Alina shrugged

“Why do you think they’re like this in our reality then?” Nara asked curiously 

“I dont know. I mean, in theory there has to be a reality out there where they’re anything you could imagine them being so it’s not too much of a stretch” Alina shrugged

“How do you plan on getting home?” Barrett asked, crossing his bulky arms and placing his feet on the low lying table in front of him

“You know I don’t know. Usually I don’t have much choice when I leave whichever reality I am and where I end up. To get back to my reality, I need to first get into the Quantum Realm and… well, I don’t think there’s anything in this reality that is going to do that for me” Alina sighed, gesturing above her to New New York and the destruction it had felt. 

“It may not be entirely impossible” Jasper perked up from the corner. He often had a quiet, calm nature to him that suggested he had a wealth of knowledge. 

Her head perked up naturally at his suggestive comment. 

“Jasper was one of the few who escaped from SHIELD capture…” Aidan said 

“Why? How?” 

“My talents were thought not to be dangerous, instead perhaps useful to SHIELD and their prerogatives. Considering I could read any mutants mind and simply tell if they were lying or not” Jasper said quietly 

“And you think you know a way I can get back into the Quantum Realm?” Alina asked 

“Maybe. There is an old research facility that used to be occupied by one Hank Pym… it’s been left untouched, over grown for years. Only SHIELD really knows of it but they thought him a mad man, his technology crazy, so they simply left his facility abandoned” 

“Where’s Hank now?” Alina asked

“Dead. Years ago. Tony Stark had him killed” 

 

Alina shook her head. However, this gave her hope. 

“Where is this facility?” 

“In the woods, just outside of New York city” 

“You’re not seriously considering going?” Cybil gawked 

“I have to. It’s worth a shot, even if it is just that.”

“I will guide you if you’d like” Jasper smiled 

Alina nodded. 

“Im coming too” Nara grinned 

“Well, don’t count me out of all the fun” Barrett laughed 

“Me neither!” Pietro said, speeding up behind Alina and knocking her from her stool

“Aidan and Cybil can stay here and hold down the fort, just in case!” Nara smiled, sensing their younger companions fear and discomfort

They nodded in agreement. 

“When do we leave?” Nara smirked 

“I say we give it a couple of days to really let it settle and then we can give it a go. The facility is about an hours walk from here” Jasper advised 

“So like, 5 minutes?” Pietro smirked

“For some of us” Barrett rolled his eyes

“Yeah when you can carry all of us then we’re talking” Nara laughed 

Pietro tried to lift Barrett only to fall backwards, being crushed by him. They hooted in laughter at the goofy scene in front of them. 

“Yeah think we might have a wee problem there” Alina laughed 

“So I have to walk?!?!” he exclaimed dramatically 

“Welcome to our world” Nara smirked back to him 

Both her and Alina rolled their eyes, laughing as Pietro threw himself onto the couch dramatically 

“Right, let’s give it a couple of days and then go scout it out” Jasper said, ruffling Cybil’s hair as he passed her and giving Alina a gentle smile. 

// 

“So you’re saying it’s ready?” Clint asked Scott skeptically 

They were all stood in the downstairs laboratory where the Quantum Generator had been situated during this ordeal. Before them was Hank and Dr Gordon, as well as Janet and Hope who were looking over some plans. 

“Yes. We believe we have stabilized it enough to make a scout entry” Hank nodded 

“And you’re sure about this?” Steve asked somewhat pensively. After all, they didn’t want to lose a second person to the Quantum Realm. 

“Yes and this time we have some… special.. Preventative measures” Hank replied, looking to Scott 

“Oh what have you done” Stark asked 

“Well, Scott, remember how I said I removed the stabilizers from your suit?” Hank began

“Uh YEAH. How could I forget that” 

Hope hid a laugh, remembering his random shrinking and growing episodes. 

“Well, I fixed them” Hank sighed   
“So he can get in and out of the Quantum Realm?” Hope asked 

“Precisely” Doctor Gordon nodded 

“Are we sure we should let the man of Ants be put at such peril?” Thor asked 

“Hey buddy, it’s algood. With these little discs I can just grow out of the realm if anything goes wrong. And we have to try” he said, pulling on his suit quickly 

“If you’re sure” Nat nodded 

“Let’s do this” Scott said 

“Alright Doc, punch it” Stark replied, glancing to Loki’s concerned face. 

The machines began to whir, powering up and they glanced to one another in apprehension. They hadn’t heard from Alina in over 3 weeks since she had disappeared with Strange. They could only hope she was okay. 

//

They were packed and ready to go. All of them stood in their protective gear, Alina in the outfit Peter had made her as they prepared to leave. 

Crawling out of the hatch, Nara gave one last wave to Cybil and Aidan before they entered the sewage system and began sloshing through the belly of New York. They walked for a good 10 minutes before Barrett pushed open a sewage drain and they crawled out, each keeping watch for any Wardens that might be patrolling. 

Alina was surprised to see they seemed to be far further north of the city, near it’s edges, then she and Nara had been last week when they had been cornered. 

“Bit of a shock how far the sewers can take ya huh” Barrett grinned as he noticed Alina looking around

“Alright kids, lets get a move on” Pietro said, already getting antsy at not being able to move at his normal speed.

They began to move stealthily towards their destination, keeping to back roads and alleyways as much as possible. Every now and then, they would duck behind dumpsters and through windows as Wardens passed, often in pairs. However, the wardens on the outer edges were considerably lazier than ones closer to the inner city and often chatted idly as they roamed, not paying too much attention to what was happening around them. Because of this, they reached the edge of the city quite quickly and without issue. 

“So, where to oh wise one?” Alina smirked at Jasper, earning a giggle from Nara.   
“Up this road here, but we’ll stick to the shrubbery” Jasper smiled, indicating a road littered with potholes that lead out into the woods. They nodded and slipped down the ditch into the brush and bushes which lined the trunks of the trees. In the woods they were able to move more freely, not having to creep through alleyways, although Nara still kept her senses on guard listening out for any approaching people or vehicles. 

“Sooo what are we actually gonna do when we get there?” Pietro asked. He bounced with each step, trying to contain his pent up energy from not being able to run. They didn’t want to attract any attention to themselves, although they hadn't seen a warden since the city ended.

“Scout it out, see if it has what Alina needs, maybe steal some stuff” Nara grinned 

“Now that’s what I am talking about” Barrett grinned back

“Up here” Jasper indicated, gesturing to a dirt road that pulled off the main tarmacked one. It was overgrown with shrubbery and clearly had not been ventured down in a long time. In fact, if one did not know it was there they may have assumed it was simply a farming track or a worn down ditch. Nara quickly checked for anyone approaching and once the all clear was given, they crept quickly across the road. Safe in the bushes and trees which had overgrown the dirt road, Pietro raced back to erase their footprints in the dirt and dust. Racing back to them, they continued their walk, far more comfortable off the beaten track and away from the possibility of wardens. 

It took a further 20 minutes before a strange, out of place looking building came into view. It looked like a rundown uptown apartment block - the kind that would have a slow elevator and a dodgy homeless man living outside the doors. Alina glanced at Jasper who gave her a smirk, knowing her thoughts without even having to read them. 

“C’mon” he said, as they moved forwards

Nothing was locked and as they walked into the building and up the stairs, it seemed that most of it had been left untouched. After a few flights, they entered a room which told Alina all she needed to. As they entered, she saw what seemed to be a somewhat larger version of the Quantum generator sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by control panels. 

 

“This what you were looking for miss” Jasper asked, a smile curving on his lips 

“Holy fuck, Jasp, I think you really pulled through” Alina replied, immediately beginning to walk to the control panel. She peered under it and saw the regulator was there and intact. It seemed Hank really had formed a working Quantum Generator here. 

“Think you can get this hunk of junk working?” Barrett asked, clanging a piece of metal with his hands 

“Yes… I think maybe I can” Alina smiled 

“Well then, let’s get to work?” Nara grinned, picking up a spare wrench. 

“Right. Pietro could you go grab me that bent piece of metal” Alina asked, pointing across the room. Pietro obliged in a flash and they set to work. 

A few hours later and Alina looked at their handywork. Anything that had been visibly wrong with the machine previously she had thought they had fixed up quite nicely. 

As they sat on the floor to take a break and consider their options, conversation began to flow. 

“So… What’re you gonna do if it works?” Pietro asked 

“She’s gonna go home dumbo” Nara replied 

“Hopefully” Alina said 

“Any special requests?” Barrett winked

“Yeah… Actually. Promise me you’ll destroy this thing completely. It’s far too dangerous to fall into the hands of SHIELD. Think of what they could access and how far they could spread their regime if they had this” she replied 

They all nodded solemnly

“Of course” Jasper smiled 

“Alright let’s get this baby up and running” Barrett said, leaping to his feet and pulling Nara and Alina up either side of him. They laughed as he did so, glancing to one another. 

Jokes aside, they set to work, flicking buttons and checking energy ratings. As they were waiting for the machine to reach maximum power, there was a loud bang and the door flew down. Their stomachs dropped as they saw who was standing there. 

“You really thought you could get out of the city without being noticed?” Clint smirked

“I mean, how dumb do you think we are?” Steve continued 

Barrett, Jasper and Pietro immediately joined Nara and Alina’s side as they formed a protective group. 

“Come on, you are a danger to society. Your time is up” Stark said from under his mask. 

“We have to get you home” Jasper whispered, reading the thoughts of the Avengers in front of them. 

“And who is that you’re hiding?” A voice rang out from behind Steve. Out of the shadows stepped Loki. 

Alina’s face hardened as she looked at the Avengers in front of her. The only one missing was Bruce. Hidden slightly behind Barrett, she materialized a gun in her hand and took a moment to emotionally remove herself. 

“Another enhanced” Thor boomed 

Widow took a step forward. 

“I have been looking for some new toys” she smiled sickingly 

Alina raised her gun from behind Barrett and cleanly shot Natasha in the head. The bang of the gun rang out in the silence and Natasha fluidly dropped to the floor, dead. Clint dove to her side, rolling her over to see the single bullet hole in her head seeping blood onto the cold metallic floor. He looked up to Alina who had stepped out from behind Barrett. 

“You’ll pay for th-” 

He didn’t finish as Alina raised the gun and shot him clean through the head too. 

“Fucking Mutants!” Stark snarled 

A fight began. Nara and Jasper turned out to be well trained in hand to hand and took on Cap and Loki reasonably well, meanwhile Barrett went one on one with Thor and Pietro took on Tony, dodging his blasts and hits. Alina danced in between them all, protecting Nara and Jasper from Loki’s magic.

“GO!” Jasper yelled to her

She turned to run for the machine. As she leapt the barrier, she turned to see Stark, who had managed to knock Pietro back several feet, had turned the arm of his suit into a long protruding dagger. Looking at the portal, Alina turned from it and leapt back over the barrier. Using her magic, she froze Steve all the way up and shattered him into nothingness before diving in front of Nara. 

The whole world froze as she felt Stark plunge his dagger arm into her stomach. She gasped a little as he put his other hand on her shoulder. Stones still activated, she snapped his arm off, leaving the dagger imbedded in her and formed a golden dagger of her own which she pierced his armour with and drove through his heart. He dropped to the ground and took several stumbled steps backwards. She felt Pietro lift her in his arms and in a blur of movement she was in front of the portal. 

“GO!” he screamed, as Loki and Thor continued to fight. 

She looked to them and activated the time stone, using a blur of motion to send them through the floor and trapping them in a time loop. 

“Thank you” Nara mouthed at her, surrounded by the bodies of the Avengers.

Her grateful face was the last thing she saw before she was yanked backwards. 

This time as she entered the Quantum Realm there was a strangely grounded feeling. She looked down to see she was actually standing this time, rather than aimlessly floating. Although she was still surrounded by the strange features, fractals and psychedelics that the Quantum realm possessed. She looked down to see Stark’s arm dagger protruding from her stomach and against all logic and bodily protest, she yanked it out of her and tossed it to the side. 

She felt the air in her wound, where it should never be and slowly dropped to her knees. Putting a hand down to steady herself, she looked around in slow motion and then back to the ground in front of her. She didn’t know how long she had been crouched over like that when she heard a voice. She didn’t look up, not wanting to know what hallucinations the blood forced trauma was giving her. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. 

“Alina, Alina! OH my god I cant believe it everyone’s gonna be so stoked on me!” 

‘Huh… That sounds like Scott’ she thought somewhat calmly from her hands and knees position 

She felt herself being pulled up a little and then a little gasp. 

“Fuck. I spoke too soon” the Scott voice said again 

She finally looked up to see Scott in his Ant-Man suit doubled over over her with a look of terror on his face as he took in her outfit and blood soaked front. In turn, he took in her wide, unfocussed eyes and blood stained abdomen. 

When he had seen her knelt on the ground he couldn’t believe his eyes that they had got so lucky. Now, it was clear to him something wasn’t right. Peering further down he could see her strange outfit had been pierced through and ripped and she was bleeding hard and fast. Her eyes were unfocussed, as if she was hallucinating and she seemed to look right through him. Not wasting any more time, he picked her up, swinging her into his arms. 

Alina felt herself be lifted and looked up at Scott, who was now framed by the fractals passing him.

“Hold on” he seemed to say 

She closed her eyes.


	17. Reality 0

When she woke she felt strangely weak, but comfortable. Opening her eyes, she was in a very sterile looking white room and realised very quickly she was back in the cradle. 

Suddenly, Steve appeared in her line of vision above her - although slightly blurry. Habit from her last reality instructed her to panic and she immediately took him by the collar of his shirt. He grabbed her arm firmly. 

“It’s okay I am not here to hurt you. Alina. You’re back” he said calmly, but with some force. Slowly remembering how she had killed off the Avengers in the last reality, she settled back down again. Could it be possible she was home? 

“Hey kid” Stark’s voice sounded softly from behind Steve

He was looking at her with unbridled worry. Alina felt dizzy. As she sat properly, she saw the room was full with everyone, including Doctor Gordon whom she had seen whilst Astral projecting. Hank and himself in particular were watching her with curiosity and worry. 

“I.. What’s your guys deal?” Alina said, assuming initially she had arrived in yet another reality

“Alina this is your original reality” Doctor Gordon said gently 

Alina looked around the room and then laid back softly. 

“Thank fucking god” she said in relief, a feeling of unbridled calmness and relief washing over her as she realised she was back. She’d made it. Slowly she sat up again and a small smile formed on her face

“How are you feeling?” Clint asked

“Like shit. I just shot you in the head” she replied 

“Rough time?” Nat asked 

“Yeah you could say that” 

“How many realities did you visit?” Hank said with excitement 

“Uh 7 I think I dont... ” she replied, rubbing her head

“OOOh what were they like?” Scott asked

“Um… different” 

“Enough. She’s recovering from a life threatening injury” Steve responded 

Alina looked down to see bandages wrapping her stomach. 

“Ahh... fuck sake, stark” she muttered 

“Hey! What did I do?” he said innocently 

“This” she gestured to her stomach 

The room fell silent, realisation washing over them. 

“Oh…” Sam said 

“Alina” Stark said, not knowing how to continue

“Alina?!” Loki’s voice sounded from the doorway 

She looked at him with wide eyes. He took a few steps towards her and then surveyed her somewhat timidly. He had been warned of how she might react to him and everyone else and was horribly afraid that she would’ve forgotten him or hated him or was scared due to his actions in another reality. 

“Loki” her voice softened

He approached a little bit further until he was at Steve’s side. 

“You’re.. You’re alive” he said, looking at the bandages around her waist. Seeing her arrive back, limp in Scotts arms and bleeding everywhere, he was terrified she wouldn’t make it.

“Yeah” she smiled

He suddenly leant down and hugged her and was surprised at the tightness to which she hugged him back. She squeezed his waist and buried her head in his chest. In turn, he pressed his lips to her hair which smelt like lillies as it always did. It felt overwhelming to have her back when he never thought he would again. He didn’t even know what had happened since she had disappeared in her Astral form with another realities Strange. There was the possibility that she had died at the hands of another realities Thanos. He felt her shoulders drop as she cried into his chest and in turn, he felt his own chest fill with pain, wondering what horrors she had seen, which versions of him she had met out there and which tortures she might have been subjected to. 

Pulling back from the hug, Alina looked around the room, not immune from the shock and discomfort of it all. 

“Uhm… We found these on you too” Hank said, uncovering Dragonfang and Loki’s daggers 

“Is that a Dragonfang!?” Thor exclaimed, immediately picking it up and admiring it

“Famed sword of the Valkyrie” Loki nodded 

“And mystic artifact” Strange continued 

“Wait… are those my daggers?” Loki asked, sliding the metallic blue knives from their sheathes 

“In one reality, Bucky and Steve took me to Kamar Taj where I trained… Dragonfang chose me as it’s carrier and as for you knives Loki… well.. You gifted them to me, right before you.. Died.. at Thanos’ hands” she choked out, remembering Loki’s body going limp into her arms 

He immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“I’m sorry” he murmured 

“Wasn’t your fault” 

“Well…. I mean...” Rhodey said. Bucky hit him in the shoulder with his metal arm, causing him to double over in pain 

“We really should speak about the other realities though, before details are lost” Doctor Gordon said, glancing at Steve somewhat timidly 

“It’s okay Steve” Alina nodded, pulling herself up and swinging her legs off the cradle. As she went to stand she immediately gasped at the full weight of the pain she felt and doubled. Loki caught her on one side whilst Tony grabbed her on the other. She immediately recoiled from both of them. 

“Sorry.. Sorry” she muttered, leaning into Loki a little

“It’s probably easier if JARVIS records all of this” Steve said gently, pushing a chair under Alina. 

They all took seats in front of her as she sat down, leaning forward she gestured for Loki to take a seat too as he was hovering on her shoulder. 

“Okay so… the first reality, I appeared in the Avengers - SHIELD headquarters outside of New York. None of you knew who I was and there was some new additions to the team. One was called Vision and he had the mind stone. He actually sounded a lot like Jarvis. Uh.. I mean you were all pretty similar to how you are now…” 

“Alina we need all the details” Hank pushed, sensing she was holding back

She looked at him in a defeated manner. 

“Except Loki… he was much crueler and when he found out that we were together in this reality he reacted brashly. Not long after that Tony and Bruce blew up the lab and that’s when I ended up back in the Quantum Realm. The second one I woke up in New York to Steve and Bucky shaking me… they didn’t know who I was either and I realised I had to make it to the Himalayas, remembering what Strange had told me about the Ancient One. I trained in the Kamar Taj with her for a while, it got attacked, we stopped the attack at which point the Dragonfang chose me. I learned to Astral Project here and then disappeared from that reality without an event triggering it really. In that reality the Avengers, you guys, didn’t exist and Widow had been killed and Stark was still weapons dealing”

“And reality 3?” Doctor Gordon asked 

“Reality three was perhaps the most pleasant one…” Alina began slowly 

“Go on” Hank gestured 

“Except… I entered the reality literally falling through the sky. This… kid… saved me. He went by the name Peter and -” 

She cut off, remembering the notebook he had given her and materialising it out of thin air, opening the page to where Peter had signed it and showed the room. 

“See” she said, pointing at his little inscription. 

“Anyway… You guys were in that reality and relatively normal in Avengers tower. Loki wasn’t there though, he was dead in that reality. Peter and I became pretty good friends and himself and his friend designed this” Alina continued, gesturing to her outfit 

“Mhmm interesting” Tony nodded 

“Anyway, he gave me a superhero name and then just as we were about to talk to the other Avengers i felt a weird buzzing feeling and I just disappeared” she shrugged 

“OH cool so what’s your superhero name?” Scott grinned 

Alina looked at him thoughtfully. 

“Rogue, apparently” 

“Okay that’s sick” Sam appreciated 

“How did a teenage kid make a better suit than me?” Tony mused, looking over Alina’s outfit 

“And reality 4?” Dr Gordon pressed 

“Reality four… That was the reality myself and Strange astral projected from” Alina said 

“Was I that much of an asshole the entire time?” Strange asked 

Alina shrugged. 

“Somewhat. Anyway, in that reality Asgard had been destroyed and Thor, Loki, Heimdall and a Valkyrie as well as a handful of Asgardians where taking refuge on earth at the Shield-Avengers facility. You guys were all very much similar to how you are now except Thanos was still a threat, you wanted me to fight him. We fought the black order and then Strange and I astral projected into this realm” 

“Why did you disappear so quick?” Thor asked

“Yourself and Loki walked in, interrupting the projection” Alina answered 

Thor nodded, watching her with concern. 

“Loki was… insistent on figuring out how I knew him in this reality. However he was not cruel like he had been in the first, just curious. We became kinda good friends and he talked me into accepting that reality as my own should things come to worst and I couldn’t return home. We fought Thanos and I was beating him but… I didn’t see Corvus behind me and Loki prevented me from being stabbed through the chest… But.. well.. He took the blow himself. I killed Thanos but he died, gifting me his daggers beforehand. He made me promise I’d come back here” Alina choked a little in stress at the thought of the trauma. 

Steve looked at her sadly, only beginning to imagine the trauma she must have experienced over and over again. 

“Um.. but I touched the soul stone by accident when I destroyed the gauntlet and it sent me back into the Quantum Realm. I reappeared in Reality 5 which was… pre New York attack and I was on the helicarrier, right in the control room. Fury and you guys imprisoned me with Loki from that period who figured out the infinity stone thing relatively quickly. He was… cruel I guess. Kidnapped me when the Helicarrier was under attack and kept me unconscious for a week which was why you didn’t hear from me. He fought Stark at Stark tower before it was Avengers tower and I destroyed the tesseract but touching the space stone sent me back to the Quantum Realm temporarily.” She was beginning to feel dizzy, recalling everything all at once. 

“And number 6?” Janet asked gently 

“Number six was the last reality I was in. I was exhausted and didn’t even wake up upon entering the reality. When I did, I was in an underground hideout forged by enhanced beings. Reality 6 was... problematic…” Alina said quietly 

“How?” Stark asked 

“You guys were the bad guys. You’d signed some accords which allowed you to hunt, test on and kill enhanced because they were considered too great of a threat. But you destroyed everything in the process. This group of enhanced found me and we started formulating a plan. Went out one day on a food hunt and Cap and Stark tried to kill us, we got away just. We laid low for a week after that - I didn’t Astral project because I was weak and didn’t have the focus to do it with so much going on. One of the enhanced had managed to escape the regime testing and knew that Dr Pym’s lab still existed there” 

“Was I evil too?” Pym asked

“No you were dead. Stark had you killed… People thought you were crazy” she replied 

“Was I?” 

“I dont know but you had a full quantum generator working when we managed to get to your lab - which had been abandoned. We just about had it working when you all turned up, hell bent on killing us. I shot Natasha and Clint in the head….” Alina trailed off

There was quiet as she processed what she had done, looking to the ground and playing with her hands. 

“A fight broke out and I ended up freezing Cap and destroying him. I got to the generator but Stark was about to kill one of the enhanced woman and I went to stop him but he got me instead….” she went on, continuing to look down as Tony watched her with intense concern. 

“Sorry…” he said softly 

“Yeah… one of the enhanced got me back in the generator and I managed to trap Thor and Loki in a time loop before I left. The enhanced were instructed to destroy the generator once I was through it” Alina replied, finally finishing up rapidly as she thought to Pietro, Nara, Barrett and Jasper. At least she had gotten rid of the Avengers from their universe so they did not have to fear them anymore but she still worried. 

“It may be difficult assimilating back into this reality” Hank began 

“It is, as I understand, hard not to get emotionally attached to occurances in the other realities” Doctor Gordon added 

Alina nodded, finally looking up at the group in front of her. 

“The cradle hasn’t healed your full wound since it went right through your body but it should be much better” Hope said 

“How long was I out?” Alina asked 

“Four days” Nat replied 

“And how long was I in the Quantum Realm for?” 

“A month and a half roughly.. Nearly two” Clint replied

“Okay” Alina shrugged

“You’re dealing with this surprisingly well” Bruce noted

“Peter’s diary helped me differentiate realms a lot” Alina replied, making a mental note to go on a hunt for the kid sometime soon. 

“Yeah but… you just shot me in the head” Clint said 

“No sweat” Alina smirked at him 

Clint laughed 

“WoW. Well okay then” 

“Well either way we’d like to keep close tabs on your mental stability over the next month” Hank commented 

Alina nodded. 

“Not that you’ll be doing much with that massive half healed stab wound in you” Stark added 

“Courtesy of you” Alina replied dryly. It still felt surreal to be back in her own reality, almost unbelievable. Despite the relief she still wondered about those she had left behind in the other realities. Were they okay? Did the Avengers ever get formed in Steve and Bucky’s reality? Did the enhanced manage to live an okay life after their avengers were killed? Lost in thought she didn’t realise Loki extending a hand to her. 

“Sorry” she muttered as she gently took it. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. She was still weak and a little disoriented as they walked back up towards the living room. Taking it slow with the others ahead of them, Loki stopped in the hallway just before they reached the door into the top lounge.

Alina looked up to him from his side, questioning his sudden stop. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking.   
“Ali… I love you” he said quietly 

“I love you too Loki” 

“I wasn’t sure when, if ever, we were going to get you back” 

“Well Im here now” 

 

He looked down at her, the worried look still plastered on his face as his eyebrows furrowed together in concern. 

“I worry about your readjustment into this reality again… That perhaps you can not forgive me for the ways I acted in other realities” 

“Loki… Remember in one of those realities, you saved my life” she said solemnly 

“But it seems I also tortured and attempt to kill you in others” he said bitterly 

“Look… We will deal with the issues as they come but it doesn’t mean I love you any less. Right now, I am still in shock I think… and weak from this” she gestured to her stomach which was still wrapped.

“You’re all I have ever needed in this world - I dont want to lose you again” he plead, his voice somewhat desperate

“Im not going anywhere” 

“You said that last time” he replied 

She laughed quietly at this. She had indeed said that last time. 

“I missed you” she said quietly 

He tipped her chin up to his as he took in her face which was still dotted with cuts and marks here and there. In turn he had seen earlier that her entire right shoulder had been bruised up. Gently pulling her in by the waist he kissed her. What was usually a teasing, happy kiss was instead one of gratitude, love and was delicate. Covering her right cheek with his hand he pulled back and kissed her forehead, pulling her into his chest once again. 

“I missed you too Ali” he murmured, rocking side to side where they stood..


	18. Molecular Disequilibrium

Nearly a fortnight had passed since Alina’s return and they had left the Quantum realm be for now. Both Doctor Gordon and Pym were focussed on whatever details Alina could give them of other universes and on monitoring her assimilation back into their reality. At times, it was clear she was struggling, every now and again she would flinch back hard from one of them or repress her answers to questions out of habit. They all knew her nightmares had gotten worse too - now not only having recurring dreams of Thanos but of the horrors of other realities too. She had mentioned to the doctors she was starting to feel full body aches every now and then but they put it down to simply her intense wound which was still healing, although much better. 

Today, she stood in the kitchen, with the others gathered in the living room. She was particularly cheery today, her mood brightening over the past few days as she began to settle back into not having to protect herself constantly. From over the counter, Loki was throwing cherries into her mouth to catch. 

“Aaaandd it’s a homerun!” Clint yelled as Alina caught a cherry in her mouth laughing 

“You really need to watch baseball, that doesn’t make any sense” Bucky commented 

Loki, who was sat at the counter throwing the cherries, was smiling at his fiance. 

“Do another” she grinned 

“Oh oh oh yes!!!” she said, backing up as she caught another one in her mouth

“You could do that professionally” Stark said, watching from the couch 

“The trick is volume” she winked as Loki threw 5 cherries at her, catching only one in her mouth as the others rolled onto the floor 

He shook his head, smiling, as she picked up the cherries from the floor and tossed them back to him, one by one. Materialising another in his hand, he tossed this one high. She backed up to catch it and looked to be on track to get another one in her mouth when her figure flickered and the cherry which had been poised for her mouth, hit the ground with a fateful plop. 

She raised her eyes to Loki who was already off the barstool and headed to her side.

“Loki?!” she said in fear, reaching out for him only for her hand to fall right through his body. 

Everyone at this point was crowded around the kitchen. 

“Get Pym and Gordon… Now” Steve said as Hope turned and left the room with haste. 

“What the hell” Alina said, this time managing to connect with Loki as she grasped onto him, stumbling forward into his arms. He wrapped them around her tightly. 

“It’s okay I’ve got you” 

As if to test the irony of his statement, she fased again and he stumbled forward falling onto the ground as he fell through her body. He turned and looked up at her desperately as her figure flickered and she furrowed her eyebrows. 

“AH!” she cried out in pain, hitting her knees as she was left unable to stand. She grabbed her head and Tony went to grab onto her, to pull her upwards but she flickered and his hand went through her shoulder, much to his shock. 

He knelt down beside her, finally managing to put a hand on each of her shoulders and hold her steady. 

“Hey it’s okay. Alina look at me” 

She looked up at Stark from her hands and her eyes mirrored confusion and fear. In turn, Stark gripped her shoulders - afraid to have her flicker away again. As he did so, Pym and Gordon came running in, followed by an out of breath Hope. 

“What’s going on?” Hank demanded as he immediately knelt to the floor by Alina. His question was answered for him as he attempted to place a hand on her shoulder only to have it move straight through it. He raised his eyes to Stark in concern and then turned to Doctor Gordon. 

“Quantum Phasing” Dr Gordon said, answering Pym’s thoughts

“What’s that?” Nat asked 

“And is it fixable?” Clint added 

Alina managed to stand up, with Tony and Loki’s help and had stopped flickering in and out at this point. Loki had his arm firmly around her waist, holding her as close to him as he physically was able. 

“Labs - Now. And you better be able to fix this” Tony demanded, pointing to Hank in a dad like tone. 

//

Sitting in the labs, Alina swung her legs off her the metal bench she was seated on. Both Loki and Strange hovered by her side, watching as every now and again she flickered causing the blood pressure equipment to fall right off of her. Stark ended up having to have JARVIS read her pulse and pressure due to the arm band phasing through her every 5 minutes.

As she sat there, Bruce, Stark, Gordon and Pym huddled in discussion around holograms whilst Janet and Hope listened in. The others simply hovered around, keeping a watchful eye on Alina. After a good hour of quiet discussion between the scientists, including one Erik Selvig who had now joined, having been in the city and receiving a somewhat desperate text from Tony. 

“Molecular Disequilibrium” Hank said, approaching Alina cautiously 

“It means your molecules are being torn apart and stitched back together, over and over. A result of the Quantum Realm energy you’ve harnessed” Erik added grimly as he also approached her 

“Essentially, you’re intangible. Leaving prismatic afterimages of your body whenever you quantum shift through space” Banner continued 

“Yes but can you fix it?” Strange asked bluntly 

Tony scratched his head and shared a glance with the other men. 

“Stark! Can you fix her?” Strange growled 

“Well… the thing is.. We don’t know. Maybe?” Stark answered bashfully 

“Maybe?” Loki hissed 

“Doctor Everton, with some practice, you should be able to control your quantum phasing meaning you can phase through physical objects at will” Dr. Gordon added 

Alina looked up. The entire time this conversation had taken place she had been looking at her hands which had been clasped in front of her above her swinging legs. She was deep in thought about what this could mean and could feel the aching pain that came with just existing. 

“It’s like.. Being exposed to radiation” Banner said as she finally looked up 

“It hurts…” She replied quietly to their enthusiasm

Loki and Strange glared at Hank. Who glanced a little nervously between the two before sighing and rubbing the back of his head. 

“Surely we can find some way to fix this. It didn’t happen to me after all” Janet said, mostly to her husband 

“Yes but you consistently remained in the Quantum Realm. Miss Everton here phased in and out of it many times, absorbing the quantum energy that allowed her to do so” Doctor Gordon answered 

“Cant you just take the Quantum Energy out of her?” Scott asked 

“No… It doesn’t work like that. Simply removing the Quantum Energy would mean we would tear her molecules to pieces” Hank answered 

“We need to find a way to stabilise it before anything else otherwise she is going to die” Erik stated bluntly 

Stark and Banner nudged him hard on either side. They were not meant to reveal that yet, on the off chance it was a simple fix. 

“What?” Steve asked sharply 

Tony sighed 

“If we cannot stabilise the quantum energy, she will continue to phase in and out of reality until her molecules tear her to pieces… killing her” 

“Are you kidding me Stark?” Strange snapped 

“Unfortunately not” Doctor Gordon replied solemnly 

At this, Alina stood up and silently moved to leave the room. To her surprise, and without thinking, she phased through one of the glass walls, missing the door by a clear metre. She stopped, her back to them, and then shook her head slightly, continuing down the stairs and through the lounge below. Loki glanced around and sighed. 

“Find a way to fix this. Now” he growled before pushing open the glass door and taking off after Alina. 

“What do we have to do to fix her?” Hope asked 

“I dont know if we can…” Hank admitted 

“What?” Bucky demanded, finally joining the conversation from his brooding spot in the corner. 

“I mean her absorption of quantum energy may be permanent. Just as Banner’s absorption of gamma radiation was permanent” 

“BUT if we can find a way to stabilise the quantum energy in theory she should be then able to control it” Erik replied 

“Like me and the… other guy?” Banner asked 

“Precisely. Stabilising the energy would stop it from fluctuating and killing her and she would then be able to control her phasing” 

“Her abilities with the reality stone perhaps may aid this” Thor suggested 

“Perhaps. We would have to try” Doctor Gordon replied 

“I think we should let her process this first… It seemed like things were finally looking okay and now this” Clint said, shaking his head 

“I agree. Work on stabilisation and let her get things right in her own head in the meantime. She’s an agent. She has a process” Nat added 

“Get to work. And get to work fast” Strange growled, before disappearing into one of his portals - headed back to the Sanctum with the hopes that one of the old magic books, or even Wong, could have a solution in it. 

// 

Alina went to the same spot she always went to when she wanted the others to leave her alone. It was a summer’s evening and she sat on one of the raised boxes on the helipad of the Avenger’s Tower roof. She looked out over the city in the late afternoon light, watching the cars pass and the people cross the streets. People walked their dogs, hugged, laughed, had their headphones in. How strange to think that had been her not over a year and a bit ago. Normal, relatively anyway. She laughed quietly to herself, thinking the trauma she had endured of the death of her partner was trauma at all now. If only she had known then, it would’ve seemed like a walk in the park for her. 

The breeze moved her hair over her shoulder and she heard Loki’s quiet footsteps behind her. He had already walked out of the doors and gotten several metres towards her before she heard him. He was often quiet and sneaking up on her. She looked back over her shoulder at him and Loki admired how the late afternoon light lit up the green eyes he had fallen in love with. It was unfortunate that they were now filled with anxiety at the trials that were constantly befalling her. He too felt the weight of them as it prevented them from moving forward together. 

Gently, he took a seat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder as she always used to, before he would admit his feelings for her. He clasped his hands over his thighs and too looked out over New York. It was so unfair, he mused, that these people got to go about their everyday lives, laughing and growing and living, whilst himself and Alina were put to such disdain. 

“Why does this keep happening to us Loki?” Alina asked quietly 

“I don’t know… I want us to be happy just as much as you” he sighed 

“What are we going to do?” 

“We’re going to fix you, and then we are going to get married” he smiled 

“And if we can’t fix me?” 

“I have already been subject to you dying once, believe me I will not be again” he replied sternly, placing his hand on her far thigh. 

“This is so exhausting Loki. It’s just trial after trial after trial. At what point is enough enough?” she murmured, feeling the pain radiating in her body 

Loki felt her pained tenseness and sighed.

“I know I know. We will fix this. The future queen of Asgard is top priority” he joked 

She laughed a little at this, using one hand to grip the arm he had holding her thigh, her head still on his shoulder. 

“What a change from the Loki I once knew” she smiled 

“Never forget I am still the God of Mischief and Lies” he chuckled 

“And so much more” she murmured 

He smiled to himself, looking out over the city. He felt tears prick in his eyes at the happiness he felt having her by his side. 

“Well I have a lot to live up to - I can’t have my wife outshining me in everything you know” he smirked 

“Oh I will never be quite so cunning” she laughed 

“Thankfully” he replied 

“Buuuut I mean… having the Infinity stones does give an edge” he felt her wink 

“Even without them, you outshine me” he smiled   
“They did always draw your interest though” she pointed out, remembering his intrigue when he had first been assigned to training her 

“That I will not deny. However they did not hold my attention as you did” 

Alina laughed. 

“What, when I threatened you multiple times?” 

“Yes that, but you were kind miss Everton, when no one else was” he laughed, before turning somewhat somber 

“Well other than very rudely kidnapping me, you never gave me much reason to be otherwise” 

“I caused destruction in your life, you were even tortured due to me” he said evenly 

She shrugged. 

“Indirectly” 

“Nonetheless Ali” 

“Well, it’s going to be increasingly hard to get rid of me now” she laughed quietly 

“Not that I would ever want to darling” 

She smiled against her shoulder. He was always very good at distracting her from the issues their lives seemed to constantly be ridden with. In their time speaking, she had almost completely forgotten about her current condition. She shook her head slightly and sighed. He in turn looked down to survey her. 

“You’ve always been good at distracting me” she replied to his curious look 

He laughed, looking down at her as she watched him, her bright eyes lit up. 

“Yes you’ll find my brother will say similar things” 

“It’s good… not many people can do so for me” she smiled 

“Yes you do tend to be a bit like that” he smirked 

“Hey!” she said with false hurt, whacking his chest teasingly and moving her head to look at him properly

He laughed at her false bravado and pulled her in, kissing her hair as he did so. 

From inside, Thor watched his brother and Alina and smiled. The smile soon turned to a sigh as he shook his head and turned to Steve and Bucky who were also watching. 

“It has been a long time, if ever, since I have seen my brother content in such a way” 

“We’ll fix her Thor” Steve said. He was sad for the girl in particular. Himself and Alina got along quietly and the sacrifices she had made where so that it seemed her current position was unjustified. He thought back to the conversation he had with Loki on the rooftop of SHIELD HQ and shook his head. It was not often someone was given the chance for redemption like this. 

Bucky gently touched the dog tag around his neck, something he had turned into a habit to do when he was anxious. Steve glanced at him at the movement and smiled. 

“I worry about her” Bucky shrugged, watching as Alina rested her head back against Loki’s shoulder. 

“You think it’s time we called Shuri?” Steve smiled 

“The sooner the better”


	19. Spiderling

A few days passed by and Alina attempted to keep her mind off of her issues as much as she could. After her evening on the rooftop with Loki, she managed to regain her composure. Unfortunately, Fury had banned her from going back to work on the volition that if she phased whilst working she may drop or break something important as well as freak out some SHIELD agents. This left her with a lot of free time which she mostly dedicated to training. The chronic pain was making it difficult to sleep, despite the exhaustion she would feel, and Bucky and Steve often found her training at all hours. 

On her third day of being unable to sleep, she was flicking through the diary she had used during her reality jumping. Hank and Gordon had directed her to give them as much detail as possible and she figured it was worth a look over again, just in case anything else came to mind. She was sitting in the lounge whilst Steve read on the couch opposite her, Bucky was sharpening some knives and Clint and Nat were playing a quiet but rather competitive game of Cluedo on the floor. She knew they were there to keep an eye on her. Members of the team had been innocently following her like shadows since they’d figured out her phasing. 

As she flicked through the pages, something caught her eye. Peter’s webbing. She flicked back and read over the inscription he had left. It wasn’t that she had forgotten about him so much as that she had been so intensely caught up in her own happenings. With the prospect of imminent death in the next few weeks, and her promise to the other reality’s Peter on her mind she figured it was worth a shot. She stood up rather hastily and snapped the diary shut, causing everyone to stop their activities and look up. Alina glanced between them all quickly. 

“I’ll be back a bit later” she said, hastily walking out of the room and changing her outfit in a flash to something far more casual. 

Now dressed in black jeans, a grey top and a green parka jacket she headed down the streets of New York towards the Queen’s address which was scrawled in the diary she carried under her arm. It was a pleasant day, leaning into the afternoon and it lead to the fact of a warm breeze ruffling her coat and hair. Glancing down at the diary, she read the address again as she appeared outside an apartment block which was decorated with shrubbery out front and a few trees overhung the main entrance. Checking around her out of habit, she headed inside as she attempted to find apartment 20. 

It was a nice place as she wandered the hallways, her mind drifting to the future. She had no guarantee this kid even existed in this reality, let alone if he was enhanced. He could be dead. He could be completely different. There was really no guarantee of what was to come at all. As she reached number 20, she dispelled these thoughts and knocked firmly on the door. 

For nearly a minute there was silence. She rocked back and forth on her heels. There could be nobody home. After all, it was summer and the afternoon. Just as she considered this, the door swung open and Peter stood there. 

“Hey! Hi sorry it took me so long” he said in the familiar voice

She smiled at him, remembering his innocent enthusiasm. Quickly, she retained the persona she was meant to be harbouring. 

“Hi there, is this the Parker residence?” she asked 

“Yes! My aunt isn’t home at the moment though” 

“Oh that’s no problem. I am actually with the police and was just wanting to ask a few questions about some crime that was going on in this neighbourhood and around these buildings. Would you be okay answering that?” she asked, showing him her NYPD identification card

He looked her up and down. 

“Uh yeah yeah come in” he said 

As she stepped in, the door snapped behind her and he immediately sat on the couch. 

“Hey I know you” he said 

She looked at him. Was it possible he somehow recognised her from another reality? Surely not. 

“You’re a scientist too aren’t you? You’ve worked with Doctor Bruce Banner!” He said excitedly 

Oh, she thought. 

“Yeah I sure am” she smiled 

“Cool! Anyway yeah the crime” he said, seeming to frown at the last word. 

“Yes. So we’ve noticed somewhat an increase and we’ve had a few residents reporting some sort of vigilante dealing with it? I haven’t been able to obtain many details but I was wondering if you’d have any insight on this or maybe anything your aunt has mentioned?” she asked 

He shifted uncomfortably. Alina saw this as a good sign. 

“Vigilante? What like a superhero? No no pretty normal around here” he said, glancing to his room slightly. 

“Is everything okay Mr Parker?” Alina asked 

“What? Yeah yeah why?” he asked 

“You seem to be looking over your shoulder a lot. Are you being threatened?” she asked, standing and making her way to where his room must be 

“Uh no! No no!” he said hastily, following her 

She opened the door into what had to be his bedroom, complete with posters and science equipment. 

“See! Uh just my bedroom” he smiled, tinkering with a beaker that sat on the desk. She looked around and noticed a hatch in the ceiling which must be typically used for storage or roof access.

Sighing, she walked forward and pretended to look out the window, as if to survey his surroundings. He watched her nervously. 

“Well… it seems like everything is okay here” she smiled 

He looked relieved. As he seemed to sigh, and look down, she used the pole leant against the wall to knock the hatch in the ceiling. It opened up and out fell his makeshift spiderman costume. 

 

“Except that” she said, somewhat dryly. 

He immediately panicked and threw it into his wardrobe. 

“That? That’s nothing just a school project” he said hastily 

“Right… Peter I know. You got bit by a spider and absorbed some radiation Banner styles and now you have super strength and sense and can shoot webbing” she replied 

He fell silent in shock. 

“How…?” 

“It’s kind of a crazy story” she replied, throwing the diary onto the desk open on the page his alternate self had written the note on. 

Peter examined this closely, holding the book up as he gently touched the webbing. 

“No way. This is so cool” he said, with wide eyes 

“Wait how are you here then?” he continued 

“I found my way back to this reality” she answered 

“So there’s two of you here now?” he asked 

“No… There was briefly no me in this reality. Now I am back” she said

“Right okay… Please dont tell my Aunt” he pleaded 

“Im not going to tell your aunt.” she smiled 

He sighed in relief

“I am however going to tell Tony Stark” 

“Uhhhhhhh what?” 

“Kid, you ever heard of the Avengers?” 

“Yes of course! I mean… uh yeah yeah I have” he said hastily trying to play his excitement down 

“I want you to meet them. Im aware of what you’re capable of and I think your vigilante justice would be far better suited to our focuses” she smiled 

“No way!” he grinned 

“Yes way. If you don’t mind coming with me of course” she replied 

“Yes!! Hold on just let me get my bad and leave Aunt May a note!” he said with excitement, hastily stuffing things in his bag and scrawling a quick note on the countertop. 

Once she had gotten him out of the apartment he was practically bouncing down the street next to her. 

“So what about you? You’re not with the NYPD are you?” he asked 

“No. I used to be. This is a real NYPD card in case you’re wondering” she laughed, flicking it towards him

“So like, what’s with you? Like, other than the whole reality jumping thing?”

“Uhh… well…” she checked her shoulders. They were walking down a quiet industrial area with no one around. 

She quickly flashed her eyes golden and sent a trashcan flying across the road. 

“NO WAY!” he yelled, before getting quieter “You’re a magician” 

“Sorcerer” she smiled 

“That is so cool! What else can you do?” 

She gave him a side glance and then morphed into her typical black combat gear. She then formed a ball of ice in her hand and froze a nearby shrub before promptly setting it on fire and putting it out again. Peter watched with wide, excited eyes. 

“You’re way cooler than Stark” he grinned 

She burst out laughing. 

“Do not say that to him. I need him to find me a cure” she laughed 

“A cure for what?” Peter asked 

“Uhh I jumped realities heaps so I’m kind of phasing in and out due to quantum energy which could kill me” she shrugged 

“What like molecular disequilibrium?” he asked 

She raised an eyebrow at him. She forgot this kid and his friend were smart. 

“Yes exactly” 

“Huh okay.. Hard issue to fix” he said 

“Yeah so I have learned. Apparently it can be stabilized” 

“If it can be stabilized you can go invisible which is cool!” Peter grinned, full of optimism 

“Really?” 

“Yeah! You’d be able to control your molecules and therefore whether or not you are in our visible spectrum or not” 

“Hm I didn’t think about that” she smiled. It left a whole new range of pranks to be pulled on Loki she smirked. 

“Well.. I mean at least there’s that” he smiled 

“That’s very true Pete. Right, this is taking too long. Hold on” she smiled as he took her arm somewhat skeptically 

There was a blue flash and suddenly they were standing in the Avenger’s living room. 

“OOHH THAT IS SO COOL!” Peter pretty much yelled 

He turned around from the window’s view of New York to find Steve, Bucky, Nat, Clint and Sam standing there. 

“I didn’t realise you were adopting a kid” Steve said with a amused smile as he stood arms crossed 

“Gotta pass the time somehow” Alina smirked back 

“Oh.. uh hi! Im Peter by the way” Peter said, extending his hand to Steve nervously 

“Where you from Peter?” Steve asked, taking his hand 

“Queens” 

“Brooklyn” Steve and Bucky said in unison 

Peter looked between them in wonder. 

“Oh no. No no no no no. Not you too Alina I already have to battle with Pepper about children. How did you even get him up here?” Tony exclaimed, walking down the stairs into the living room.  
Alina continued to smirk at him. 

“Hi oh wow you’re Tony Stark!” Peter grinned 

“Yeah, hi kid. Alina, what the hell?” he asked 

“Remember that note I showed you.. When I first got back to reality 0?”

Stark looked between her and Peter and put his head in one of his hands, shaking it as the rest of the room wore different variations of smirks. 

“He’s got superpowers doesn’t he” Tony groaned 

“Pete” Alina nodded 

He immediately jumped up and hung himself upside down from the roof 

“I mean kinda yeah” 

“Kinda” Tony muttered, as the room barely held back their laughter 

“Alina, why?” he continued 

“I promised other reality him that I would” she shrugged 

“That’s so meta” Peter grinned, dropping from the ceiling 

“What else you got?” Tony asked 

Peter shot a web across the room and Tony raised his eyebrows. 

“Also like i can sense stuff more than others and im really strong now” Peter explained 

“Super heightened sensory abilities and strength” Alina nodded 

“Hmm has promise” Tony hummed 

“I promise I wont get in the way!” Peter smiled

“He’s got a bit of a keen science eye. He already worked out the molecular disequilibrium thing” Alina replied, raising her eyebrow at Tony.   
In turn, Tony gave Peter and interested look. 

“Okay kid, why don’t I show you around the lab. Then Bruce and I can run some tests on your abilities” Tony said in a slightly warmer tone

“Really?! Cool, thanks Mr Stark” Peter smiled, following Tony up the stairs to the lab. He gave a quick glance and smile down to Alina who in turn, shooed him away with a smile. 

“You have adopted a spiderling?” Loki questioned from the doorway 

Alina laughed at his strange term and flickered as she did so. The room tensed up at the flicker and she seemed to shrug and unshrug her shoulders to relieve herself of the built up pain and the strange feeling of reforming in the reality. Loki shook his head and gently headed across the room, taking her hand. He could see the exhaustion on her face. Everyone could. Day 3 of no sleep was rolling into day 4 as the full body aches and chronic pain continued.

“It’s not that I don’t want kids it’s just this seems like a large step” he teased gently 

“What? This fully fledged spiderling does not please his majesty?” Alina teased back

Loki smirked at her.

“Very funny” he replied 

“I thought so” she smiled 

He watched as her face twitched a little in pain. She was so good at hiding it it nearly passed him. As the others resumed their activities and Loki nodded to Steve, signifying he would take over watching her, they quietly left the room. 

“Any progress?” Alina asked 

He shook his head. So far Doctor Gordon and Hank Pym had made very little progress in stabilizing quantum energy. They were struggling with a serum or a counter-energy that was strong enough to work with the powerful influence that Quantum Energy possessed. 

“I can see you’re in pain Ali” he said quietly, escorting into the more low key second living room a floor down from the sky lounge and bar. This living room was just as spacious but far more cozy, with a number of lavish couches and armchairs. Loki spent a lot of his time in here reading. Afternoon was moving rapidly into evening as they took a seat on a couch which was decorated with lush pillows and a throw, Pepper’s doing of course. 

“Mmmhm” she hummed slightly, leaning into Loki as he extended his legs across the couch

“Hey, I’m serious. We need to work this out at some point. It hurts me to see you in such pain” Loki murmured

“It’ll be okay, Loki. Im okay” she replied, leaning her head into his chest 

“But you’re not. You’re barely sleeping, you are in horrible pain and when you do sleep you sleep in distress - forming nightmares” he replied in a concerned tone

“I don’t know” she simply answered

He was right, in the end, she was exhausted, in pain and running on adrenaline reserves with the hope that the problem was one that could miraculously be fixed. In her head, she was still struggling with the realities of returning to this universe, as well as what she had seen in other universes. Not only did she dream of Thanos now, but she dreamt of the Avengers dead at her doing, of Loki dying in her arms, of a cruel Strange and an indifferent Stark. While she was awake, these things were easy to dispel, which was part of the reason her lack of ability to sleep did not bother her as much as it should.   
Loki could not often read Alina but when it came to her fear, he could feel it radiating off her magic. He and Strange had discussed it at length with her magic being so powerful, they were both able to feel her internal distress. 

He glanced down at her to see her staring distantly out the window. Sighing, he reserved himself to what he was about to do. He did not often enjoy subduing Alina with his magic but it was coming onto day 4 with no sleep. He flicked his fingers subtly and Alina felt the heavy weight of his sorcery overcome her ability to function. Often times, she could simply fight his enchantments but with the constant pain coupled with the exhaustion, she found herself quickly slipping under as she felt the sleepy heat that rose to one’s face as the eyes fall heavy and the limbs get weak. 

In turn, Loki wrapped an arm around her and closed his own eyes, allowing the weight of Alina on his chest to comfort him as he allowed his mind to wander.

 

//

It was Thor, Steve and Bucky who walked in, 6 hours later to find the two fast asleep on the couch, Loki with his arm protectively around Alina and Alina with her head poised on his chest. Her facial expression was blank as it conveyed complete exhaustion. 

Thor smiled at the pair, sharing a look between Steve and Bucky as they quietly sat down. Loki opened one eye protectively as they did so, finally opening the other and allowing his stare to settle on the three. 

“How’s she doing?” Bucky asked 

“I had to put her to sleep” Loki sighed, shaking his head slightly 

“Shuri should be here tomorrow” Stark said, walking into the room with Banner, Sam and Nat. 

On Loki, Alina had woken up slowly. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness that had befallen the room. 

“Fuck, Peter” she said as she realised how late it was

“Dont worry I sent him home in a company car. Gave him some made up slip to give to his Aunt stating he’d won a scholarship with me. He’s coming back tomorrow - smart kid you picked up there doc” Stark smiled

She sat up and put her head in her hands as she settled the dizzying feeling that radiating through her body. She had consistently felt unsettled and out of place ever since waking up back in reality 0. It took her a few moments to really grasp where she was every time. 

“Good” she mumbled, shaking off the cobwebs

“Hey Leelee!” Scott said, walking into the room munching on a croissant 

“Heya Scott” she smiled, standing and moving towards him with the intentions of teasingly taking his croissant however she only got half way there when she phased and then disappeared completely. 

“Alina!?” Loki cried out

Scott dropped his food as he desperately took a few steps forward. There was silence as the they all stared between each other, the chill of fear spreading down their necks. 

“JARVIS -” Stark began urgently

He was cut off by a strangled gasp and Alina phasing back into view, choking for breath as she hit her knees in pain. Loki dove for her immediately, planting both hands firmly on her shoulders. 

“Im okay Im okay!” she panted, still swallowing air desperately 

“It’s getting worse” Banner said, as he crouched beside Alina and gently took her pulse. There was a glossy layer of sweat on her forehead as her breath caught up with her. 

“What just happened?” Scott asked, alarmed 

“Molecular disequilibrium - however her molecules took longer to come back together” Bruce explained 

“Pym still up?” Stark asked 

“Uh yeah downstairs with Selvig and Gordon” 

They marched downstairs to find the 3 scientists sat down, having a discussion over what seemed to be coffee or tea. They all looked up as the group strode into the room and their expressions turned from ones of annoyance at their hasty entry to one’s of concern at the looks written all over their faces. 

Stark quickly explained the situation. 

“It’s happening faster than we thought. Fascinating” Selvig said, examining Alina. Thor was pulling his finger across his throat and shaking his head from behind Alina causing Erik to rapidly end his sentence. 

“How did it feel?” Hank asked. Janet nudged him 

“Painful. I could feel my molecular structure bending... It was... fascinating” she admitted, mirroring Selvig as her natural scientific curiosity came out

Bucky whacked her shoulder and she smiled at him apologetically. 

“It seems that your molecular structure is disintegrating faster than we anticipated” Doctor Gordon said, shaking his head as he reviewed her medicals 

“Can we slow it?” Thor asked 

The three scientists all looked between one another. 

“Can we slow it?” Tony repeated, with intent, immediately looking over the holograms they were viewing. 

“Yes… In theory” 

“Then do it?” Nat suggested

“Theoretically… If Miss Everton was back in the Quantum Realm… it would cease the process due to the amount of Quantum Energy. A balancing effect if you will” Hank said slowly 

“Absolutely not” Loki snapped 

“We can’t risk it. Not after last time” Hope interjected, causing Loki to glance at her interestedly 

“How much time do we have until my molecular structure disintegrates completely?” Alina asked, taking a few steps towards to the holographics of her medicals

“Well we originally thought a month… But at this rate, 2 weeks” Doctor Gordon said 

Alina flickered again, not disappearing this time but simply phasing the golden hue that they were beginning to recognise. 

“Alina?” Hope questioned as the woman looked over her holograms 

“Mhm?” Alina said, looking up with a surprisingly gentle smile 

“Just checking you were still here” she laughed 

“Oh, right. Well I’m sure you’ll know when I am not. About this Quantum tunnel though. My understanding is you have it stabilized now?” she questioned 

“Yes” 

“Well in which case there should be little risk of it shutting off and me getting trapped in there again” she replied evenly, reading the energy readings that they had recorded upon Scott entering to retrieve her.

“Look before we consider that, let’s just let Shuri take a whack at this” Tony said

Alina glanced up at him. 

“Are we getting a royal visit?” she grinned 

“You forget you yourself are royalty” Thor added 

She rolled her eyes at him. She often forgot her Celestial heritage. 

“You know what I mean” she smirked, pointing a pen in his direction 

“Well in that case, yeah Shuri is coming” Bucky smiled 

Alina sighed and shook her head, glancing to the Quantum tunnel. 

“Okay well in which case lets leave this as a second option” she said, throwing the pen towards Bucky who caught in with his metal arm

They all nodded in agreement, somewhat warily as they considered their options to come.


	20. Shuri's arrival

Shuri arrived first thing the next morning - which was good since Alina had not slept a wink and was therefore the first one to greet her. The others were still sleeping while they sat in the lab and Alina gave Shuri a full rundown explanation of the situation. She gave Alina a somewhat knowing look. 

“So THAT’S the problem?” she asked, as Alina flickered again in front of her

“Essentially” 

Shuri pursed her lips into a tight smile. 

“You know how to fix it don’t you” Alina sighed, shaking her head and wondering why they even bothered calling in anyone else at this point. 

“Can you show me the Quantum Tunnel?” she asked, rather than answering 

Alina nodded and they exited the lab, beginning to walk back down through the lounge. Strangely enough, Peter walked through the door. 

“You’re here early” Alina commented 

“Uh.. I kinda wanted to look around a bit” he said nervously 

“Well you’re in luck - everyone’s still asleep. This is Shuri by the way” Alina said, gesturing to the girl beside her

“Hey! I’m Peter” He said 

“Come along kids” Alina teased 

“So what’s your thing?” Shuri asked Peter as they trailed along behind Alina

“Uhhhhh” he replied, shooting webbing at Alina’s ankle, causing her to trip

“Yeet” him and Shuri whispered in unison, locking eyes with big grins 

Ripping the webbing off her ankles Alina looked between them. 

“What. Have. I. Done.” she muttered, shaking the web off her hands

The rest of the walk down consisted of Shuri asking Peter 1000 questions about his powers which Alina left them to do so without interruption. It was good for Peter to get a friend here his age, even if it spelled disaster for the peace and quiet of the tower. 

Alina pushed open the door into the bottom lab which housed the quantum regulator and gently closed it behind the two kids. Shuri looked around with crossed arms and shook her head. The room was empty, left unoccupied this early in the morning by the scientists. Alina gestured to the control panel. 

“Go ahead” she shrugged

Peter followed Shuri as she looked over the system and it’s controls while simultaneously explaining to Peter what they did and how they worked. Peter seemed to grasp the concepts quite well. 

“Ned would love this” he commented 

Shuri looked at him questioningly and Alina raised her head at the mention of his friend’s name. 

“Oh uh he’s a friend of mine” 

Shuri nodded and Alina put this down to note as the two continued running over the systems. 

After a good half an hour, including Shuri tinkering with some wiring, she wandered over to were Alina sat. 

“What’s the prognosis?” Alina asked Shuri

“Well, it’d be hard to fix your molecular disequilibrium permanently without tearing your physiology apart piece for piece which, unless you’re unknowingly an AI, we can’t do that” 

“Unfortunately I am not” Alina replied dryly 

“However if we had an equal energy source, we could stabilize the Quantum energy in your molecules. You’d still have the molecular disequilibrium but you would be able to control it, phasing when you willed yourself to do so. No death sentence” Shuri continued 

“Yes I believe Doctor’s Pym and Gordon were exploring that theory but they came up with insufficient energy sources”

“Why did they not just use the Quantum Energy already available to them instead of seeking an alternate power source” Shuri said, staring at Alina

“Uh… because… I dont know” Alina said, Quantum Mechanics were not her field of studies after all 

“All we have to do in order to achieve this is open up the Quantum tunnel, place you inside and have you phase for at least a minute so that your molecules become regulated by consistent quantum energy rather than the patchiness which you’ve acquired via jumping realities” Shuri explained 

“Makes sense. Only problem is the team are dead set against opening the tunnel again after the incident” Alina advised 

“Where are they now?” Shuri asked with a cunning smile. Peter appeared behind her, looking between the two girls

Alina sighed and shook her head at them. 

“Fine. But if I get lost in there again you guys are going to be in SO much trouble” she pointed a finger 

“Worth it!” Peter and Shuri hi fived 

“I am going to die at the hands of two teenagers” Alina grumbled, phasing into a suit suitable for the Quantum Realm and fastening the extension clip onto her waist.

Locking themselves in the control room, Shuri and Peter began tinkering with a few things before they gave the thumbs up. Alina was shaking her head as the tunnel began to fizz and roar with it’s uncontainable power and potential. As she had done the first time, she walked towards it and looked back over her shoulder at the two. They pair waved and Alina rolled her eyes before forcing herself to take the step into the Quantum Realm. 

Inside it was just as it had been the first time. Quiet but with illusions and colours plastering her vision like wallpaper. She floated there gently, using one hand to grab the rope which was giving her tension to the outside world. 

“Testing testing can ya hear me?” Peter’s voice sounded 

“Loud and clear spiderling” Alina replied 

She heard giggles at the name which Loki had somehow coined and shook her head with a smile. 

“Okay, now we just have to wait for you to have a phasing moment” Shuri said

“The sooner the better” Alina replied, somewhat uncomfortable being back in the place where she had no control in once again. As if sensing her fear and discomfort, it took a further 15 minutes of floating before she flickered. She had been having idle conversation with Shuri and Peter over the comms when she cut off mid sentence. 

“Here we go” she instead said

“Okay now it is going to hurt but you must continue phasing” shuri said urgently 

“You’re just telling me this now” Alina muttered as her molecules began to pull themselves apart

She felt herself begin to disintegrate into nothingness and felt the fear encompass her body. She thought of Loki, hoping that if this didn’t work, he could forgive her for trying. She screamed as her molecules pulled and twisted until her lungs hurt and as they came back together she was faced with the silence once again. Except this time her arms and legs and chest didn’t hurt and she felt lighter. 

“Ali?” Peter said over the comms, his voice crackling 

“Yeah” 

 

“Did it.. Work?” 

“I think maybe it did” 

“We’re bringing you out” Shuri said confidently and Alina felt the sucking pull that she had become so familiar with. In a flash she was standing, or rather stumbling, forward in front of the tunnel as it whirred and powered down. Shuri and Peter pretty much kicked down the control panel door as they came out to see her. 

Raising a blue hologram in her hand, Shuri ran it over Alina’s body and then held it up to allow it to expand. She carefully read over it. 

“Well… you’re not dying anymore” she smiled 

Alina smiled and Peter and Shuri high fived. 

“I don’t even know why I bothered with Selvig and Pym” she winked 

“Sooo you should be able to control your phasing now” Peter said, practically jumping up and down

“And you’re not dying….” Shuri said, equally as excited 

“We’re not trying this in here. But… the gym is only 3 floors up” Alina conceded 

“Awesome because I want to run some tests on the phasing… for science” Shuri replied, her and Peter exchanging grins 

Alina shook her head in humoured disbelief. 

 

//

Alina had been training for nearly an hour at the discretion of Peter and Shuri when Tony, Steve, Bucky, Banner, Thor, Scott and Loki entered looking for her. 

“You shouldn’t be training. You need to rest” Thor chastised 

“Also good to see you two” Stark nodded to Peter and Shuri who were seated on a raised box, their legs swinging off it and Shuri with a phone in her hand recording. They both wore smirks. 

“I’ll show you down to the labs soon” Stark continued, gesturing to Shuri 

“No need Stark” Shuri replied coolly 

“Everything okay?” Steve asked 

“Yes” Peter grinned

 

“What did you do?” Bucky sighed, looking between Peter and Shuri. 

“Hit her” Shuri said, pointing to Alina

“Im not… im not going to hit her” Bucky said, aghast 

“Just do it” 

“No!” 

“Bucky they’re never going to leave you alone otherwise” Alina sighed 

“Im not going to hit you” 

“Bucky for the love of God just do it” she shook her head

He glanced at Steve and then at Tony who shrugged. With lack of protest, Bucky walked forward and moved to throw a strong punch into Alina with his metal arm. He was surprised when she phased and the punch fell right through her shoulder only for her to rematerialise inches from her face, holding his metal hand behind her back. 

“What the hell” Tony said as Shuri and Peter laughed over the video they had just taken of Bucky’s shocked face

“Shuri fixed me like… 3 hours ago” Alina shrugged, phasing right through Bucky and walking towards the group

“What?! HOW?” Banner asked

“Just used more quantum energy to stabilise her. I dont know why you thought you’d have to find another energy source when you had one sitting right there” Shuri shrugged 

“How?” Steve asked curiously

“Just threw me back in the Quantum realm and ripped my physiology to shreds” Alina said with cheeriness

“Wait, you activated the quantum tunnel?” Tony asked 

“Yeah sorry, better to ask forgiveness than permission” Alina shrugged, the smallest of smirks on the corners of her lips 

“I…Ok Listen here...” Stark trailed off at his own logic being used against him as he shook his head

“So you’re not dying…?” Loki asked hopefully 

“No she is no longer dying. She does still have molecular disequilibrium but she is now in control of it - able to phase in and out of tangibility at will… Well with maybe a bit more practice” 

“WHICH MEANS SHE CAN BE INVISIBLE” Peter yelled, hanging from the roof

“Which.. Yes she can render herself out of our visible sphere” Shuri continued 

“Ooooh Hank is going to be so mad you 3 fixed this in a casual morning” Scott laughed 

“I can’t believe you left your safety up to two teenagers” Bucky shook his head with a smile 

“They did less damage than you lot” she smiled back 

For the first time in a little while Loki wore a happy smile, no longer faced with the imminent death of his fiance. He teasingly appeared behind her, his clone which he created disappearing as he wrapped his arms around over her collarbone from behind. She glanced up at him with a somewhat mischievous smile and he was happy to see her eyes were no longer filled with an intense pain. As he mulled this over, Alina phased and he fell right through her stumbling forward to catch himself. He whipped around to look at her and found her standing, arms crossed and laughing quietly to herself. 

“Now that’s going to be dangerous” he smirked 

“Watch yourself Odinson” she smiled pointing his own dagger at him which she had slipped from it’s sheath as she had phased through him. Delicately, she tossed it back to him and he caught it with one hand. 

“C’mon no knife throwing there’s kids around” Steve teased 

“Im 17!” Peter said from across the room 

As the group split off, delegating Tony and Steve to looking after the two teens, Alina and Loki were left to quiet conversation as they slipped off into the hallways. 

Turning to her a few floors up, Loki pushed her against a wall in the lounge hallway. She looked up at him as he breathed down, an intensely cunning look on his features. 

“So can we PLEASE plan the wedding now?” he breathed, tilting her chin up as he mumbled against her lips 

“You seem to be the one getting distracted here” she murmured back as he smiled into her lips, gently pushing his to hers. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling into his kiss. He gently picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He span around lightly, causing her hair to whip slightly as she laughed into the kiss. He returned this happiness. 

“I just want to marry you” he replied, looking up slightly at her as he held her, his eyes wide in wonderment and his eyebrows slightly raised. 

There was the clicking sound of a camera and they both turned their heads to see Shuri and Peter there, camera phone in hand, Tony behind them. The pair laughed at their audience. 

“There are children!!!” Steve’s voice rang out jokingly from the kitchen 

“Sorry dad!” Alina yelled back 

“Wait so you date Mr Loki?” Peter asked innocently as Alina jumped down from her perched spot on Loki’s waist. 

“One might say that” she smiled, walking into the lounge

“So the two strongest avengers are together?” Peter asked, looking over Shuri’s shoulder at the picture they had taken of Alina and Loki. 

“Ooooh no here we go” Nat said from the couch 

“I wouldn’t say they’re the two strongest per say” Thor began 

“Yeah I mean we really can’t know for certain” Bruce chimed in 

“Except it’s clearly me” Thor smiled 

“I have a literal metal arm” Bucky pitched in 

“I’ve watched Alina beat you in a fight Thor” Clint smirked 

“You’re just jealous because you’re not even in contention” Stark replied 

“And you are?” Hope asked, her eyebrows raised 

“Shall we get the big guy out and find out?” Stark said nodding to Bruce 

“Absolutely not” Steve said 

“Oh come on, Cap you want to go up against Ali?” Nat smirked 

“That’s not a question I need answering” he replied with a knowing smile

“I’ll fight any of you” Alina smirked, sharing the glance with Nat and Hope who were all waiting for the volunteers. 

“Would you fight all of us?” Sam asked

“Wilson lets not pretend like you’d have half a chance” Bucky laughed 

“Remember when she fought Strange and Loki last year?” 

“To be fair she was starting to get her assed kicked there” Clint smiled 

“Oh really, Barton?” she laughed 

“Well mind control dick head kind of interrupted it” he shrugged

“That’s true” Nat hummed 

“Where is Strange? I wanna see the rematch” Stark asked 

“You called?” Strange asked, appearing from nowhere

“A WIZARD!” Peter all but yelled 

“What in the name of -” Strange began before stopping and simply shaking his head 

“Hey jazz hands, remember that time you and reindeer games fought Sparkles?” Stark asked 

“Why?” 

“Keen on a round 2?” 

“Why?” Strange sighed again

Tony quickly explained Shuri’s quick fix and their following argument of the strongest of them. Strange looked to Alina who shrugged. 

“What, we’re leaving out Banner here?” he asked 

“Well for lack of ability to test that theory” Steve replied 

“Loki?” Strange asked 

“I do feel like miss Everton needs to be taken down a peg” Loki smirked 

Alina rolled her eyes. 

“Bring it on boys” 

// 

The group ended up back down in their training rooms. Most of them seated or stood around the edge whilst Alina stood facing Strange and Loki. 

“Anything goes?” Strange asked 

“Hand to hand, sorcery, you name it” she smiled sweetly 

Loki nodded and immediately swung at her, she moved swiftly out of the way her sweet smile forming into one of cunning. He took another swing only to have her spin behind him, a laugh on her lips. Strange blasted her and she flipped back, over Loki’s head and blocked it with her own magic. 

To her side she could hear Shuri and Peter filming and taking bets from the others on who would win. Nat and Hope stood next to one another, arms crossed and a smile on their lips as they watched on. 

“Clearly her” they said together as Shuri and Peter approached, not even letting them ask. 

“I dont know… Strange and Loki have got her on the back foot here” Scott said 

They shared a smirk. Sure they did. 

Strange and Loki did however manage to get a foot in the door, combining an attack using their own sorcery skills and sending her 15 feet backwards into a wall. She pulled herself up onto her elbows and then staggered to her feet as Loki appeared behind her she phased, allowing him to move through her before phasing back and blasting him with the power stone in the back, sending him tumbling into Strange. 

“Idiot” Strange muttered 

Loki rolled his eyes at him as they dusted themselves off, immediately jumping back into the offensive. He took on Alina hand to hand as Strange came in from the side attempting to bring her hands down to the ground using his rope like magic. At one point, Loki managed to stop her, both hands on her shoulders and she smiled at him. In turn, he used one hand to hold her chin, smirking as he leant in to kiss her. As he did, she phased through him and froze him to the spot. He sighed, looking up to the ceiling in disdain and to avoid Strange’s loud eyeroll. With a graceful flick of his, now slightly blue, wrist he shattered the ice and resumed the fight.

Strange got in close enough to throw a punch with his runes still active around his wrists only to have Alina block it, directly grabbing his wrists and freezing them as she held on. He gritted his teeth, seething as he felt the cold travel up his forearms. Loki took this as his time to lay an attack and came up behind her, ready to use his own sorcery to send her flying to the side. He was not expecting her to extend her foot, kicking him in the chest. Letting go of Strange’s wrists, she threw Loki back several feet with her magic and then turned back to Strange and tossed him in the same direction. Tumbling to Loki’s side, Strange tried to pull himself up. As the pair did so, Alina appeared behind them and phased a hand through each of their throats. 

They gasped and shifted uncomfortably at the feeling of something being in their throats, yet not. 

“I win” she said, with a sweet smile, before phasing back out of their anatomy and walking in between them towards the watching group. 

“Told you” Hope smirked to Scott. 

“By the way your prize is now taking on all our missions solo” Stark yelled across the gym 

Alina squared herself and folded her arms, eyebrows raised. 

“Didn’t realise you were so keen on being a stay at home dad, Tony” she smirked, nodding slightly to Peter and Shuri

Tony huffed and was about to snark back when Pym and Selvig entered, followed by Gordon. 

“Which one of you activated the quantum tunnel” Pym demanded 

They all pointed to Peter and Shuri and Tony quickly explained as Pym turned red in the face with embarrassment that a teenage girl figured it out and fixed the issue in under 3 hours on a casual wednesday morning. He walked out grumbling something about working on some quantum physics, much to Scott’s amusement and huge grin to which he channeled into high fiving Shuri.

“NOW can we plan the wedding?” Loki smirked 

“Hey, you had a point to… well not prove really” Alina winked, freezing his feet again

He immediately did the same to her, causing her to sway slightly in shock. She shattered her ice bonds and raised her eyebrows at him, one corner of her mouth twitching upwards. In a flash, she disappeared. 

“Ali?!” Loki said in alarm, immediately shattering the ice around his feet 

Steve went to move forward but Shuri shook his head at him with a smile. Alina reappeared behind Loki, wrapping her arms around him from behind and kissing his cheek. He rolled his eyes with a smile as she detangled herself from him.

“GET A ROOM” Stark yelled

“Wedding” Loki chastised Alina, reminding her once again as he froze Stark to the ground

“I wanna hang out with Mr Loki” Peter said, admiring Tony’s frozen feet

“Okay, cmon kid” Alina said, beginning to leave the gym 

“Wait no! No! Parker you are not going anywhere with Reindeer Games!” 

“I’ll keep him out of trouble” Alina smiled over her shoulder

“I wont” Loki commented as Peter bounced along behind them and Tony desperately tried to get rid of the ice around his ankles as Steve, Nat and Bucky stood beside him, arms folded and smirking down at this predicament.


	21. The G.I Joe Fallacy

Peter had been spending a lot of time with the team over the next fortnight, especially Tony and Alina. After Shuri had left again, it left him with no one his own age to be around and he enjoyed spending time with Tony who had taken a rather father figure like role over him and Alina who he saw as a sister and a friend. 

She would often indulge him in the cases she was working when he got bored of Tony’s lab or when Banner and Stark went on a rant he could not understand. Alina had been working on a series of enhanced that had been turning up dead across the country. At first they seemed like regular murders until tests were run after their deaths which seemed to prove that they had some sort of enhanced abilities, some even showing signs of Quantum energy which she discussed at length with Pym, Gordon and Selvig. Coming to the conclusion that she needed to figure out where it was all coming from, she passed up the opportunity to go on the next mission, instead suggesting they take Peter so he could try out Tony’s new suit for him. It was a pretty simple attack and retrieve mission and Fury felt the need to tag along to keep an eye on the group for whatever reason. 

Loki was not overly keen to leave his fiance behind but when was he ever. 

“You lot have fun” Alina said, seeing them off as they loaded into the Quinjet 

“Are you suuure you don’t wanna come?” Peter asked 

“Got work to do Pete” she smiled 

“Uuhhghgh okay!” he replied 

She waved as the jet took off before turning back inside to complete her work. With the Avengers all off on mission and the scientists on their weekend off, Alina had decided to run some theories with the quantum energy they were finding in the deceased. 

Not that there was anyone around to stop her. 

//

The team had landed a few kilometres out from the base which shield identified as doing dodgy military and scientific testing in. Gathered in the Quinjet talking, they allowed Fury to take control. 

“Right so you sure letting the kid out there is gonna be ok?” he asked as a general consensus 

“Im 17!” 

“Riggght yeah he’ll be fine. Pretty simple mission if you ask me, and we’ve taken literally all of us bar sparkles so it’s not like he won’t have backup” Stark nodded 

“Okay well -” Fury stopped as he looked down 

A small ball had rolled through the slightly opened Quinjet door. 

“Everybody get down!” he screamed 

As they moved to exit, the ball expanded a circular electric glow and pulsed outwards, promptly knocking them unconscious. 

// 

Alina had been in the lab for nearly 10 hours now and was getting somewhat sick of the dead ends she was facing in figuring out where all this excess quantum energy was coming from. As she sat back in front of the Quantum tunnel, she sighed, resigned to the fact she was going to have to wait for the Doctors to come back in order to get a more knowledgeable answer. She leant back in her chair, feet on the control panel as she groaned at the roof. There was a fizzling sound, which disappeared as she went to listen. Putting it down to something moving as she had let out her frustrated groan, she got up and began to make her way to the door. 

A spark on the tunnel caught her eye. Before she could react, the tunnel began to open. She looked to the control panel. Nothing had changed. Frantically she flicked the buttons back and forth, hoping to shut it off. She didn’t really need to suck the whole of New York into the Quantum Realm on the one day that the team were away. There was a blast and a steaming sound before it shut off. Alina immediately exited the control panel, stones activated as she saw two figures standing there silhouetted by the steam.

“Woah take it easy there Sabrina the Teenage Witch” one of the figures said 

As the steam cleared, it revealed a person in a full red and black suit and a man beside him with a metal arm resembling Bucky’s, a cape and a huge gun slung over his back in the same way Clint slung his bow. 

“So you’re the fuckwit who’s been messing with realities?” he said in a gruff voice, adjusting the gun over his shoulder

“Who the hell are you guys?” Alina asked, aware she had no backup here

“Well Im Batman and this is my trusty sidekick, Robin” 

“I am NOT your sidekick” The metal armed man sighed 

Alina looked between the two of them in confusion and disdain. 

“Fine! If you want to be boring…” The red suited man said theatrically to the other

“This dumbass in latex is Wade - Me? The name’s Cable” 

“Uhhhh I’m deadpool, cmon man use my superhero name. You dont get to just sound cool” 

 

“What the fuck” Alina said again, watching the two men bicker

“Look girly, we’ve been recording quantum energy pouring through into our universe for fucking years now and we’ve finally linked it back to this reality. So you wanna explain why you’ve been ripping apart the fabric of reality?” Cable asked 

“Firstly my name is Alina - not ‘girly’- and secondly I haven’t been messing with Quantum Energy for years. More like for months, and I actually got stuck in that hell hole travelling between realities with no control” 

“Well someone here has sweetcheeks” 

“I can think of several people who might’ve been but they’re away right now” 

“Where?” 

“They’ll be back later” Alina said, lowering her runes and returning her eyes to normal 

“Riiiiiighhhhhttttt and what’s this?” Deadpool lifted a distress beacon which was beeping rapidly

“That’s a…. Oh fuck” Alina said

“Yeaaah… These aren’t the people you were referring to are they?” 

Alina snatched the beacon out of his hand. 

“JARVIS what’s happened?” Alina demanded, ignoring the two men 

“I’m not sure Miss. It seemed a strong electrical charge triggered the distress beacon but I cannot seem to get in contact with Mr. Stark or Captain Rogers” 

“Fuck” Alina swore, looking to the two men and wondering what the hell she was going to do. She now had two rather large situations on her hands. 

“Lost someone?” Cable asked 

“More than just someone…You won’t be getting any answers till I figure this out” she said, waving the distress beacon 

“Let me guess… We’re going to have to go to them?” he asked 

Deadpool raised both his hands to his cheeks. 

“Yipee!” 

 

“God who the fuck even - you know what that’s not important right now. We have to go on a rescue mission” 

“We? I just got sucked through a literal rip in space and time with the grumpy dwarf from Snow white - I need a vacation before anything else” 

“Too bad. Im not leaving you here”

“We help you find these idiots, you help us get answers” Cable replied 

“Looks like I dont have many other options” 

“I dont know I thought that too but here I am dressed in spandex in another reality with a dwarf and a witch” 

“What even the…” 

“Just ignore him. Everything works out better that way” Cable shook his head

Alina put her head in her hands. 

“Of course this would happen” she mumbled 

“Hey sweetheart we don’t want to be here either” Deadpool said

“Just come on” she replied, tugging them towards the door and having JARVIS ready a jet for them. She’d think of a plan on the way there. 

 

// 

They woke up, tied down on chairs. 

Tony was relieved to see Peter was still with them and they seemed to be lined up against the wall. 

“Rogers! Rogers!” he hissed, kicking Steve’s chair next to him   
Steve began to come too slowly. He had been the closest to the blast, attempting to shield Peter from it. The kid was already awake. 

“What the fuuck” Clint groaned

“Mother fucker” Fury noted

“Uhhh is this how your missions usually go?” Peter asked, unable to get his hands out from the cuffs behind his back

Strange glared at him and attempted to activate his runes. He couldn’t. The cuffs binding him were holding his magic in them also, encompassing his hands. In the corner across from them was a pile of their weapons; guns, clint’s bows, Loki’s knives among other things. Loki also found he was unable to use his magic and looked around the room somewhat grumpily. 

As he did so, a man entered followed by several fully armed and armoured guards. 

“Our guests are awake it seems” he smiled 

He gave off a calm presence, his dark suit neat and his short blonde hair combed back. Clean shaven he had piercing blue eyes and a somewhat sunken in face giving the impression he was likely in his early 40’s. 

“Nice place you got here - Hope you’re not expecting a tip though” Stark said

“We don’t charge for children” the man smiled 

Stark rolled his eyes. 

“What do you want?” Nat asked, eyeing the man up 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question Miss Romanov? After all, it was you that were trying to access my facilities” 

“How do you know my name?” 

“I know the names of all your active agents… Agent Barton, Agent Hill, Agent Coulson, Agent May, Agent Wilson, Agent Everton...” 

Fury stared the man down with his good eye. 

There was a bang as the door was kicked down and three figures stood there. 

“You called?” Alina’s voice rang out 

The armed men turned on them and immediately opened fire. Fury yelled out but it was too late. Alina quietly shielded herself and Cable from the bullets but the team watched in horror as the man unknown to them in the red suit was riddled with bullets. 

“Holy fuck!” Scott yelled 

Alina lowered her shield. 

“He’ll be fine” Cable shrugged, unloading his gun from over his shoulder and setting the phaser up a level. As he opened fire, Deadpool shook himself off the ground and stretched casually much to the wide eyed shock of the tied up Avengers. 

“Okay what the actual fuck?” Stark said

“You’re saying that to me? Dude you brought a kid with you” Deadpool said, pointing at Peter 

“Wade I swear to god just get them gone!” Alina yelled, shielding herself and Cable from a reign of bullets. 

Deadpool set to breaking their cuffs while the blonde haired man quickly escaped out of a side door with several guards. By the time Alina and Cable had finished off the other guards, Deadpool had everyone pretty much freed. 

“Who in the hell are you guys?” Stephen asked 

“Explain later, let’s go” Alina growled, throwing Clint his bow. 

Cable lead them upfront, taking out guards as they came. Above, alarms blared and there was heavy footsteps coming from behind. Alina and Wade were taking up the back and as they exited the facility, were bombarded with guards. Loki, Strange, Bucky and Clint stopped and turned to help but were ushered onwards. 

“JUST GO!” Alina yelled 

They turned, somewhat hesitantly and sprinted towards the Quinjet which was being piloted by Agent Hill, hovering just above the ground. Alina and Deadpool were not far behind but as soon as they were in it, Alina raised her shield around it, protecting it from any attacks. 

Steve looked down at the pair, his hair whipping in the wind created by the jet. 

“OH? DIDN’T WE SAY? WE’RE NOT COMING! SEE YOU SOON!” Alina yelled over the roar of the jets 

“Queue the music!” Deadpool said as they began to fight their way back through the dense crowd of hostile agents 

“CABLE I SWEAR IF YOU TAKE THE FUN OUT OF THIS” Wade yelled 

In the jet, Cable sighed exasperatedly and pushed a button. G.D.F.R began playing. Alina raised a shield, stopping the onslaught of bullets and folded her arms, staring at Deadpool. 

“What!? I can’t have some tunes while I work?” He threw his hands up in the air, immediately taking a bullet through his left one which had gone above Alina’s protective barrier.

“OWWIE!” 

 

Peter watched with a huge grin. Alina rolled her eyes and blasted her shield backwards, taking out a whole line of agents. 

“Idiot” she muttered, resuming her fight 

“You should do this for a living” Wade yelled, putting his sword through a man’s chest 

Alina looked at him, deadpan as she took her gun from her holster and shot a guy coming from behind without even looking. 

“So badass” Deadpool grinned through his suit 

“Would you shut up and do your job?” 

“Oooh snappy! And I thought eye patch was the one looking like the snapping turtle” 

“Is that fucker talking about me?” Fury asked 

“Just dont” Cable growled, kicking Hill out of the pilots seat and maneuvering the jet closer to the building causing everyone to grab on to what they could to stay stable

Alina and Deadpool made a break for it, reaching the front doors of the facility again. Blasting back everyone in 10 feet of her, Alina gave the jet a wink, Deadpool a salute, before they slipped inside. 

“I cannot believe they took a kid with them!” Deadpool complained, shooting a agent in the face as they made their way through the hallways 

“He’s capable” she replied with a grunt, grabbing one of his swords from his shoulder and impaling a guy

“Still! A kid!” 

“We can debate the sanity of taking a kid to a highly militarised scientific testing base AFTER we get out of here!” Alina said, glancing up at him as she tapped into a door. 

They got in, immediately Alina’s face turned to a grim one. She recognised some of the technology in the room. It wasn’t good. 

“Why the sour look princess?” 

“Do you know anything about science, Mr Wilson?” she sighed 

“I’ve watched every episode of Star Trek - the classic - not the one with the bald guy who looks like professor X” 

“Professor.. What okay… I’ll take that as a no” 

“Where’s blondie at anyway?” Wade asked, looking around 

“Making his escape you idiot” Cable said over the comms 

“The roof!” Alina yelled to Deadpool, diving for the stairs as they sprinted up them, blasting open the hatch. 

Across from them, the blonde man was moving towards a helicopter with several guards in tow. They turned to open fire and Alina blocked it, throwing them off the roof with ease. However in the time she took to do this, the blonde haired man had boarded the helicopter and taken off. 

Deadpool looked up as they stood on the edge of the roof, his hand over his brow shading his eyes. 

“Well looks like -” He was cut off as Alina used her magic to throw him several feet in the air, his hand barely catching the bottom rung of the helicopter. Cable let out a laugh that if spoken would’ve said he wished he’d caught that on camera. Alina threw herself up after Wade, also catching the helicopter rung. 

“Could’ve given me some warning” 

“Title of your sex tape” she replied 

“Huh, not bad” he replied as the helicopter swung wildly to the side, attempting to shake them off. 

 

As they pulled themselves up, the helicopter continued to swing wildly as they now hung over the forest that bordered the research facility. Deadpool managed to get onto the front window, smashing it and taking the pilot by the throat. 

“No hard feelings but come on man that was a kid!” he yelled 

“Im 17!” Alina heard Peter over the comms   
“Im sorry have they changed the legal adult age?” Deadpool asked sarcastically 

He was momentarily distracted and the blonde haired man shot him in the face, causing him to go limp on the windshield. 

“Oooohhhh” Cable hissed, followed by the flinch of several of the Avengers, including Thor who screwed his face up. 

Distracted by his success, he was unsuspecting of Alina who jumped in the seat beside him, ripping open the door as she went and tossing the gun out the gap it left behind. The pilot, who was still choking a little from Wade’s grasp, could now not see due to his body sprawled across the windscreen. 

“Look, your pilot can’t see I’d give it about 2 minutes before we all die in a fiery helicopter crash” Alina said sweetly as the pilot nearly accidentally threw them out the window. 

“Jrkeguhgfdj” Deadpool groaned as he came too 

“You’re doing great Wade just stay there” Alina smiled 

“What do you want?” the man asked, grabbing onto Alina as the helicopter tipped again, nearly throwing him out

“For you to come quietly” 

“TITLE OF YOUR SEX TAPE HAH!” Deadpool yelled, lifting his head off the windscreen slightly 

The man looked between the two in bewilderment, and then glanced to his pilot who mirrored his fear, unable to see or continue to keep the helicopter stable for much longer. 

“FINE! WHatever you want!” The man yelled 

“JEsus good god finally” Deadpool said as he rose off the windscreen 

The helicopter tipped again, this time the blades catching fire as they began to spin downwards. Alina took the blonde haired man and pulled him out of the helicopter, encasing them both with magic. Deadpool simply rolled off the windscreen and jumped after them, leaving the helicopter and it’s pilot to crash and burn into the forest. 

Stopping them from hitting the ground, Alina formed a level of magic for herself, the convict and Wade to land on. They smashed threw the first few layers before coming to a stop, Deadpool standing and shaking off little pieces of golden glass dust. 

“You know we make a pretty great team” Deadpool smiled as Alina pulled blondie to his feet 

“If by team you mean I do all the work”

“Why, that’s exactly what I do mean” 

 

Alina rolled her eyes and dropped the Quinjet’s shield, allowing them to land and for Hill to cuff the unnamed blonde man. After checking the others were okay, a few more SHIELD jets began to land. 

“Bit late” Deadpool commented 

“They’re here to confiscate and shut down the base smartass” Fury replied 

“Rich coming from the man who took a kid to a enemy base” Deadpool nodded 

“Im Peter by the way!” 

“Deadpool” 

“Oh well… then I am Spiderman” 

“Can you talk to spiders?”

“No” 

“What’s the point then?” 

“I can talk to ants” Scott pitched in

“Yeah buddy spiders would be cooler though” 

As Wade picked Peter’s brains for his talents, Alina wandered to Loki. 

“Hey nice going” she smiled 

“You finished that up fast” he replied, an eyebrow raised 

“TITLE OF YOUR -” Deadpool got halfway through before Alina used her magic to send him tumbling back several metres much to Cable and Fury’s amusement. 

As they ventured back inside the base, the remaining agents being cuffed and escorted out by SHIELD operatives, they were lead to the initial room Alina and Deadpool had discovered. 

“Jesus” Steve said as they entered 

“Good God” Banner continued 

The room was lined with malicious equipment from prototype weapons to testing chambers. Their eyes fell to the contraption in the centre. 

“Is that….?” Nat began 

“A Quantum Tunnel” Hope finished. 

“Guess we found who’s been messing with your stuff” Alina nodded to Cable as they began to inspect

“Oh yeah does Bucky #2 and the Spiderman knock off wanna explain who the hell they are?” Tony asked

“You know if anything he’s a knock off of me” Wade pointed out

There was a thwack and a agent who had a red dot trained on Strange’s neck fell from the ceiling. They turned to see Clint with his bow out, a small smirk on his lips. 

“Damn nice shooting lego-... Wait how many times do you get called legolas?” Deadpool commented

“All the time - by my wife too” 

“Fine. Nice shooting Katniss” 

“Heard it” 

“Brave! The girl from Brave!” 

“Sorry man” Clint shrugged

“Are you two done?” Fury asked 

“If hostiles having been utilising Quantum technology we’re in trouble” Scott added in

“Where did they even get some of these parts?” Stark asked, tinkering with a part of the quantum generator. 

“Sonny Burch” Hope growled 

“Oh not that asshole” Scott groaned 

“Who?” Bucky asked

“International Weapons and technology dealer” Hope replied   
“I can bet you this is where they got some of this stuff from” Scott nodded 

“Okay we’ll confiscate what we can. Meanwhile, you lot get back to HQ and interrogate blondie - see if you can find out if he has links to this Sonny Burch. And I expect an explanation for these fools too” he said, gesturing between Deadpool and Cable. 

“Hey we just saved your ass” Deadpool protested 

“C’mon” Cable replied gruffly, taking him by the arm and dragging him from the room with the others in tow.


	22. Enhanced Project

“So let me get this straight.. Your super power is never dying?” Tony asked after Cable had explained his and Wade’s situation 

“And you’re a time traveller… and now you’re both stuck in this reality” Steve continued, somewhat pointedly 

“I wouldn’t say stuck” Cable said, waving his hand upon which he wore a strange device 

“Riiiiigghhhhttt” Scott said 

“So you think someone’s been messing with the Quantum Realm… I mean, other than us?” Hope asked 

“Yup” 

“Well, it looks like we might’ve found your guy” Alina said, throwing some schematics, plans and records on the table. They sprawled outwards upon impact. 

“So it was a quantum generator?” Banner asked 

“Yup and the testing records for it go back years” Alina nodded, pushing a file towards the doctor 

“That’s impossible it was only in the past year or two that my own father figured out how to safely access the quantum realm” Hope replied anxiously 

“He’s on his way, by the way” Coulson said, appearing in the room 

She nodded

“And you think someone has been what, interfering?” Strange asked 

“Exactly. There are fixed points in realities, points that cannot, must not, be changed. They are what hold the fabric of those realities together. When they fail, they form what is akin to a black hole in the Quantum Realm, sucking in other energies and realities and destroying the original one” 

“And what, someone’s been changing these fixed points?” Nat asked 

“Trying to. They’re yet to succeed but we traced it here” Cable added 

“As in someone from this reality is messing with it or?” Clint asked 

“That, or whoever is messing with it is currently in this reality and as it seems, is stuck here without the Quantum generator you just confiscated” 

“Any luck on interrogation yet?” Coulson asked 

“Haven’t even begun” Alina nodded 

“Well start and soon. I want to know how this asshole knew the names of my active agents” Fury said as he entered the room 

“There were testing facilities in that base Sir. It would make sense if this man and his team have been testing on… well.. Humans. The enhanced I have been studying, randomly turning up dead, they seem to die for no reason. Perhaps the testing done in this facility might give some answers” Alina replied grimly 

Fury considered her statement. 

“It seems you have a lead there. Follow it. I want you heading this investigation Everton” 

Alina nodded. 

“Yes sir” 

“Get in there and interrogate the hell out of him” 

She gave a tight smile before slipping out the door and reappearing on the other side of the double sided glass. 

In the room sat the blonde man, cuffed to the table. The Avengers, Fury, Coulson, Wade and Cable watched from behind the dark glass. 

“So you’ve finally made time for little old me?” The blonde man asked   
Alina pulled a chair out opposite him and sat down. 

“Well it’s been rather hard to do so without a name” she replied 

“The name’s Eric Luthor - since I imagine you’ll find that out anyway at some point” 

“Well, your cooperation is appreciated” she answered, dryly 

“So, Miss Everton, what are you going to do? Torture this information out of me?” He smiled 

She raised an eyebrow. Behind the glass, Fury swore. This man not only knew who his active agents were but clearly, what they looked like. 

“Well, Mr Luthor that would be my last option” 

“I’ve read your files. You don’t seem to be the one for torture - what with such a tragic past” he said, with mocking sympathy 

“Much has changed since what SHIELD has on file” Alina replied coolly, aware that SHIELD only had her filed under active agent, none of the past year’s more recent abilities had been recorded for her safety and for the secrecy of the organisation and certain projects. 

“Even my research has yet to bring people back from the dead” he replied, clearly referring to Alina’s parents 

She gave him a tight lipped smile. 

“Indeed. But while we’re on the subject of your research Mr Luthor, would you like to give me some insight into why you had a Quantum tunnel, among other testing facilities?” 

“One might call it a passion project” he smiled back 

“Murder is one hell of a passion project” she replied 

“Murder? Hardly” 

“Then why, Mr Luthor, have a number of perfectly normal people been going missing, turning up dead weeks or months later with no trace of how they died and incredibly large readings of quantum energy, as well as other things, in their system - some being reported to be enhanced” she said, laying out a few pictures of deceased victims 

“A coincidence” he smiled 

“And is it a coincidence you have SHIELD’s files?” she asked, moving fluidly between subjects 

“I enjoy recreational reading” 

“Novels getting a bit too simple for you?” 

 

“One might say that”

Alina sighed. 

“We are going to get answers, it’s up to you how readily you give them up” 

“Are you threatening me Miss Everton?” 

“You will know when I am threatening you” 

“I feel that I do not have very much to fear from you” he smiled

She laughed, leaning back in her seat slightly. As she leant forward again she slammed her hands on the table, standing up and leaning towards him with glowing golden eyes. 

“Don’t you?” 

He jumped backwards in his seat in shock at her unexpected movement and consequently remained frozen in fear at her eyes. His cuffed wrists prevented him from moving any further back in his seat as she glared down at him. 

“You’re.. You’re enhanced! How did you survive the testing process!?” he asked, incredulous 

Alina lowered herself back down into her chair, reverting her golden to green and brushing a piece of hair out of her face. 

“I’m THE enhanced Mr Luthor and I didn’t survive the testing so to speak” she replied coolly 

“So you came back from the dead? Your files have nothing on this” he hissed 

“And you think they would? You really think SHIELD would list it’s greatest secret where it is so easily, and clearly, accessible?” she cocked her head 

He stared at her. 

“Who made you?” 

“Why do you have a Quantum Tunnel and what were you using it for?” she replied, rather than answering 

“I had… a sponsor” he relented, still looking her over in awe and curiosity 

“And that was…?” 

“I dont know. They appeared a few years back, put me in contact with everyone I needed to build a quantum generator, educated me on the things i could do with it, gave me new technology and then disappeared. Told me they’d need me later, hadn’t heard from em’ since, until recently” 

“Who were they?” 

“I dont know! I only met them a few times. After they disappeared I started using the technology to explore new avenues, to try and create enhanced beings” 

“We’ll get to that in a moment” Alina nodded 

“But you… you must know him! It’s the only way someone like you could exist” 

“Unfortunately not. Mr Luthor where is your sponsor?” 

“I dont know. He appeared from the generator perhaps a week or so back and I haven’t seen him since. Ain’t none of my business. I never even seen his face” he shrugged

Alina shook her head. 

“And how did you obtain classified SHIELD files?” 

“Some of the technology my sponsor provided was… advanced” he responded 

Alina rolled her eyes. It was going to take some sifting through all of that junk to figure out what did what. 

“Well, Mr Luthor, I think we’ll leave that there” she responded, rising from her seat and kicking it backwards. 

“It would be a pleasure to test on you Miss everton” Eric Luthor smiled in a strange fashion 

Alina stared at him. They held eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time as he sized her up before she turned and left the room. 

“Nat it’s your turn with creepo” Alina announced as she entered the other room 

Nat smiled the wicked grin she always got when being allowed to interrogate. She could be cunning and ruthless. 

Nat’s interrogation got them to the same place as Alina’s did. Perhaps with a slightly different fashion of information. However half the time it felt like the blonde man was interrogating Nat, asking her a bombardment of questions about Alina, about SHIELD and about testing. Watching on, Alina felt Strange tense up beside her everytime Luthor asked a question about her abilities, physiology or origin. 

“He’ll never figure it out” she smirked as the man asked Nat where she came from, interrupting her question on enhanced beings. 

“It doesn’t make me any less uneasy” Strange responded 

“You showed your cards there girl” Cable grunted 

She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and folded arms. Lightly, she shrugged. 

“No harm done” 

“We don’t know that yet” Clint answered. 

Alina looked at him and then shrugged. It was less of situation than what she had started with the day before. Nat came out of interrogation room shaking her and rolling her eyes hard enough to see her own brain. 

“Complete weirdo” she said to the room 

Alina shook her head, a small laugh escaping her mouth. It wasn’t a particularly funny situation but it wasn’t unusually out of the ordinary either. The following smile still on her lips, she left the room, the others in tow as they heard the overhead announce a jet landing. It had to be Doctor Pym. Selvig had, ironically, already been at SHIELD HQ for his own unknown and likely odd reasons. 

They met him in the warehouse like room that SHIELD often used to store, test and monitor hostile or new gear brought into them. 

“Wow does one eyed joe have a time machine or something?” Deadpool asked, scratching the back of his head and using his free hand to point at the relocated quantum tunnel. 

“Fury has his ways” Clint nodded

“Hey you ever gonna take that stupid thing off?” Stark asked, looking up from across the room and gesturing up and down to Wade’s suit

“Uhhhh no. You see it’s kinda my thing” 

“Just don’t” Alina waved behind her, stopping Clint who had opened his mouth to make a point about something 

“Doctor!” Selvig yelled from across the room 

“What’ve we got?” Alina asked, striding forward into the room

“Where to even start?” Selvig gestured 

“Im going to go with the Quantum Generator?” Bucky asked, looking around him at the hundreds and hundreds of pieces of tech that were positioned around the room in various testing areas, surrounded by various scientists.

“Indeed” Selvig grunted, leading the towards Stark who was alongside Pym and Banner as they overlooked the rather compacted quantum tunnel which they had retrieved from Luthor’s facilities. Loki followed Alina like a shadow, careful not to let her get in harm's way around such a thing again. Every now and then she would glance up at him over her shoulder and smile a little, aware of what he was doing. He would not break eye contact, instead placing a gentle hand on the small of her back as she turned back to listen to the scientists talk. 

As they ran through all the parts and pieces to the Quantum tunnel, aided by Cable’s explanations of what their mystery man might be using it for, they began to theorize what they were going to do. As Selvig stopped speaking, Alina considered the machine. 

So, we’re assuming our mystery guy needs this for something, based off what Luthor has told us and Cable’s theory?” 

“Yes” Cable answered 

“Well what are we going to do about OUR Quantum Tunnel?” Alina pondered 

“Oh shit” Pym coughed 

“Sorted it. Had Dr Gordon go and take some parts out of it like, 6 hours ago” Tony smirked 

“Well I never thought I’d see you on to it” Nat smirked 

“Dont forget I pay for everything… design everything… ya know, just generally have everyone look cool” Tony replied, somewhat jokingly 

“Right so what’s our game plan?” Peter asked

The whole room went quiet and stared at him. 

“Game plan?” Clint asked 

“Im sorry… who are the adults here?” Tony asked 

“Aw cmon Mr Stark!” Peter exclaimed   
Loki leant back against the wall with Thor, Steve and Nat. All of which were equally as amused. Alina stood with her arms crossed and a half smile on her face. 

“What do you think the game plan should be?” She asked 

“Are we seriously leaving this up to a kid?” Pym exclaimed 

“Uhhhh the pressure of time urgency?” Deadpool continued, tapping his imaginary 

“You shut up” Alina pointed before turning back to Peter expectantly 

Peter seemed to square himself in front of the generator next to Alina as they stood side on to it, facing one another. 

“Well uh so this guy, who ever he is, is like using the energy to jump in between realities so he can like destroy them, right?” Peter began, glancing at Cable who simply nodded gruffly 

“You’re doing great sweetheart” Deadpool chimed 

“Go on” Alina said, waving at Wade to shut the hell up. 

“Right so the way I see it is that he’s got to have a reason behind doing something like that firstly and he needs the Quantum Generator for some reason” 

Alina nodded. 

“So if he needs a Quantum Generator, and we have the only one, surely he has to come to us at some point?” Peter pointed out 

“We don’t necessarily have the only one” Banner said, from behind a panel of buttons 

“But if we could make sure we did” Alina mused 

“How many more of these things could there be out there?” Bucky asked 

“Or if we could obtain all the fundamental parts that would prevent someone building them…” Selvig continued

“Right so he’d have to come here at some point. In the meantime there’s all this tech which could help us figure out Mr. Luthor’s thing and Ali’s case with all the enhanced” Peter replied 

Alina nodded and gave him a warm smile. Smart kid. She looked over his head to Stark, who was also wearing a lopsided grin. 

“You’d make a great mom” Stark quipped 

Alina rolled her eyes and Peter smiled between the two, somewhat uncertain of what was happening. She turned, taking a few strides towards the generator to examine the entrance. Peter trailed after her like a puppy while Stark, Banner, Pym and Selvig poured over a series of records. The others stood around watching, some meandering off to look at other pieces of gear that had been picked up. 

Peter, now in step with Alina, continued forward. In synchronisation, they took a step inwards to examine a piece of metal hanging from the side when there was a strange click. Every head in the warehouse snapped up. Alina and Peter shared one look before the tunnel opened with a wooshing sound. 

“PETER GO!” Alina yelled, the wind whipping her hair as she used her magic to blast him several feet backwards towards Deadpool. He immediately got up and began to be sucked forward by the tunnel. Thankfully, Wade grabbed onto him, also grabbing the closest piece of screwed down equipment and solidifying their position as the other Avengers grabbed onto objects, whilst also grabbing stray scientists out of the force of the blast.

“Not the fucking Kid!” Wade yelled to himself as he held on, despite the force of being pulled towards the tunnel.

Alina took a few forceful steps forward but felt herself being pulled backwards. She lost her footing and slipped, immediately being dragged upwards off her feet and into the air. Her breath tight in her chest, she screamed internally knowing this meant another trip to the quantum realm. As she did so, she felt a stickiness around one of her wrists and a tense pull. Looking up through her hair which was whipping her face, she could see Peter with his webbing attached to her, pulling backwards as Deadpool held onto him. They were skidding forward on the tiled floor and Alina looked desperately at Wade. 

“Spiderkid you’re going to get pulled in too!” he yelled, straining to hold onto Peter and the table he was hooked to. 

“ITS SPIDERMAN!” Peter yelled back over the noise 

In the same instantaneous event, the tunnel turned off and Alina was promptly pulled full force towards Peter and Wade. She rolled across the floor, stopping and propping herself up on her elbows. 

“If you EVER do that again!” she growled at Peter 

“I couldn’t just let you die!” 

“Yes you could!” 

“But then you and Mr Loki couldn’t get married!” 

 

“I… oh for the… okay… Thank you Peter” she conceded 

Surprisingly, Loki checked on Peter first, pulling him up from the ground and using his magic to clean off his suit. 

“I like the spiderling” Loki announced 

Peter pretty much grinned his face off as Loki moved past him to check Alina. She was off the ground at this point but had a cut to her forehead. He used his thumb to smudge the blood and shook his head slightly as he did so. 

“I do not believe I am thanking a spiderling child for saving your life” 

“Hey, I wasn’t being reckless this time” she smiled, aware that Peter was watching them with a huge smile. 

“Nonetheless” he replied as she turned to Stark and Banner who were helping up Pym and Selvig. 

“What in the hell did you do!?” she demanded. It had, after all, been themselves near the control panel and they had been tinkering. 

Tony threw his hands up. 

“Hey, wasn’t me” 

“In fact, we hadn’t touched anything at all” Hank said, pulling his hair back and being checked by Hope

“Tony, do you think JARVIS could give us a schematic of what possibly triggered the tunnel?” Banner asked 

“You heard the man” Tony said in response 

“Of course Sir” Jarvis’ voice sounded, projecting a blue light in front of Tony and Bruce. As they watched on it began to morph and form into a blue recreation of what had just happened. 

“Hey that’s me!” Peter said, pointing to the blue figure of himself, next to Alina’s. Behind them, the figures of Stark, Banner, Pym and Selvig were highlighted in blue. It clearly showed them not touching the control panel at all. They watched Peter and Alina move forward until the point of their synchronised step came into play. As soon as they took this movement, the tunnel opened. JARVIS drew a gold line to mark the threshold over which they seemed to have stepped to trigger the energy. 

“What… so it’s like, boobytrapped?” Clint asked 

“That doesn’t make any sense… Myself, several other scientists, even Stark has approached further than that and not set it off” Selvig replied, shaking his head as he flicked through the reports. 

Alina picked one up absently and began to read through it. Just as all the others she had seen, it detailed enhanced testing and quantum energy. The conclusion suddenly dawned on her and she dropped the report on the table. 

“Put me back in interrogation with Luthor” she said, with such low intent that even Loki gave her a questioning look. 

// 

Alina slammed open the interrogation room door, throwing it with equal force closed behind her. From inside the glass, the other’s watched with Stark putting a hand out to stop Fury, who had only just joined, from losing his shit at Alina’s sudden unannounced interrogation. 

“Well hello here to change your-” 

Luthor was cut off as Alina tossed him across the room by his throat. 

He crawled backwards, backing himself against a wall as she picked him up and slammed him in between the table and the glass. 

“What THE HELL have you been doing?” she seethed 

“I dont know - I dont know what youre, talking about…” he managed 

“That Quantum generator is ONLY triggered by detection of enhanced powers” she hissed 

The team looked at eachother, realising her conclusions. 

“I..” 

“Shut up. You’ve been testing on humans, setting up a quantum generator that is mutant specific! That’s torture! What? You just test on them until it fails and the generator blows out and then let them crawl off somewhere to die before you try again!?” she growled 

Luthor smiled a little. A somewhat cocky laugh exited his lips and Alina slammed him up harder against the wall as he shrugged a little. 

“In the name of science” 

“So you could achieve what?” she asked angrily 

“Peace of our time” 

“Oh for god sake” she replied, dropping him and pushing him back towards his seat. 

“Quantum Energy is the new great power source! Being able to harness it is incredible” he replied 

“Torturing and murdering people is not part of that package” she hissed 

“Liabilities” 

“Why?”

“Because, Miss Everton, Quantum Energy… sure you can use it to power things but that’s thinking so small. It can reconfigure your genealogy, your physiology, your molecules…” 

“You were using it to create an army of enhanced” She theorized, her eyes hardening 

“Such strong words” 

“Shut the hell up” she growled, using her magic to reattach his cuffs and walking with haste out of the room. 

“There’s your answer” she said as she entered into the opposing room, crossing her arms while she directed herself at Fury

“So he’s been killing people” Bucky said 

“But if he succeeded in genetically modifying and creating enhanced beings with powers from the quantum realm….” Pym began

“We could have a huge problem on our hands” Alina replied with a nod.


	23. Home?

There was much to be considered over the coming week. Stark, Banner, Pym and Selvig were supervising testing and identification of the materials and objects found in Luthor’s labs whilst also, in tandem with Gordon, bringing in pieces that might be essential in building a quantum generator. They had also contacted Wakanda and had Shuri run global testing to rule out the possibility of anyone else using or obtaining a Quantum Tunnel anywhere else. Alina, who was overseeing all of this at Fury’s wishes, poured relentlessly over their findings, notes and case files attempting to find anything that might give her insight into who Mr. Luthor’s sponsor was. 

Luthor had been transferred over to SHIELD HQ’s international crime unit who were sorting out where to imprison him and what regulations and laws he would fall under. Alina had gotten all she could out of him during interrogations and it seemed to her that he genuinely did not know who this sponsor of his actually was. As she spent the days pouring over this, her mind sometimes drifted to Loki. It had been nearly 3 months since he had asked to talk about the wedding before she got trapped in the quantum realm, meaning it had been nearly 9 months since he had proposed initially. They were yet to actually discuss it. In fact, she was lucky to have not been sucked into the Quantum Realm once again and it was that fateful day in which Peter saved her which triggered her mind drifting to her worries. After all, she had seen the tinge of pain in Loki’s face as he had wiped the smeared blood off her face. She was becoming a liability to him. She did not want to give up her work; this was her passion and her livelihood and with the power of the Infinity Stones she could help a lot of people. Part of her decision to come back from the dead last year had been surrounding that, so suddenly giving that up seemed pointless. However this left her in the position of a pained decision. It wasn’t that she did not love Loki - she loved him to pieces, but how unhappy could she continue to make him? He was clearly getting uneasy and unhappy having to wonder when the next time she almost died was, or worse, when she might turn up dead. But could marriage make this worse? Was this what he really wanted after all, or did he feel too far in now to go back on the promise he had made? 

Alina sighed and shook her head. Too often was her mind drifting to these thoughts that she could, for the moment at least, do nothing about. Turning back to the piece of equipment and it’s files she had been pouring over, Fury entered the room. 

“Uhh Agent, you’re gonna wanna see this” 

Her head snapped up. What now? 

She hurried after Fury through the sleeker part of the facility, hurrying down the outside steps unit and towards where the international criminal housing was. She began formulating ideas of what could’ve possibly happened. Had Luthor been prompted to speak more perhaps? As they pushed their way inside, she saw a number of doctors and agents milling about, more so than was usual, and as they neared the cells - she could see why. 

The glass slid open to give way to Luthor, sprawled sideways over his bed with his throat cleanly slit. In blood, on the wall above the bed, was a single word question sprawled. 

‘Home?’

Alina made a face at it. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“I was hoping it’d mean something to you” Fury commented 

Alina shook her head as she knelt beside the body, checking it over for any evidence. Their case had just stepped up a notch. 

 

//

“So he left us a message” Nat said, as Alina threw the photos up onto the screen for everyone to see with a flick of her hand.

“And did a banksy at the crime scene” Stark commented 

“Anyone got any ideas?” Alina asked, perplexed

“No security footage?” Bucky asked

“It had been wiped. The whole place for a space of 5 minutes” Alina shook her head. The security code passes were heavily protected. You’d have to read minds or be incredibly well versed in torture to get an agent to release those codes - time the perpetrator did not have.

“Home… like this is their home? Or like this was Luthor’s home?” Clint pitched 

“Or it was directed at someone else maybe?” Steve added 

“Who?” Thor asked 

“Dunno… seems like a weird singular statement to make” Alina replied 

“But he’s here” Thor nodded

“And he can get into your facilities” Cable grunted 

“Maybe he’s invisible” Deadpool pitched 

Cable rolled his eyes. 

“What?!” 

“Why would he erase security footage if he’s invisible?” 

“Because he doesn’t want us to know he’s invisible” 

“You’re an idiot Wade” 

“Hey he could be in this room with us right now!” Peter tag teamed him with a grin, him and Deadpool high fiving as Strange rolled his eyes from behind them

“You should listen to your clowns” a voice sounded from the corner of the room

They whipped around to see a cloaked figure standing in a rather relaxed position, his hood over his face and eyes. Strange raised his runes, Nat, Clint and Bucky all reached subtly for the guns strapped on the underside of the table. 

“Identify yourself” Thor demanded 

“I really do not think that to be necessary. Im here for the Quantum Generator and that is all” 

“So you’re the asshole who’s been fucking around with that” Cable grunted, unhinging his gun from his shoulder 

“Go back to your daughter” The man responded evenly

Cable looked taken aback. How did the man know about his child? Alina glanced to Cable as he fell silent and then surveyed the figure. There was something she recognised about him that she couldn’t put her finger on. 

“You will not be using our Quantum Generator… Who are you?” Alina asked, standing at the front of the group 

The man cocked his head at her, although she could not yet see his facial features. He laughed a low, intentful laugh. 

“Darling Alina, how ready you are to forget” 

She froze up. Who was this? 

“Don’t make the woman repeat herself” Steve backed her up, appearing on her right shoulder 

The man shrugged and raised a blaster at them. Alina blocked the blast, whilst also using the magic to block the man’s exit. As his sleeve raised she saw the device on his hand which was very similar to Cables. He saw it too. 

“Do not let him turn that dial!” he growled as the mystery man reached for his wrist. 

Peter shot some webbing which entangled the man’s hand, preventing him from turning the dial that sat on his wrist. Unable to escape, a fight ensued. Outmatched and Outnumbered however, it was short matched and Alina quickly had him back against a wall. He reached out to punch her and she swifty dodged, spinning and putting a foot into his upper chest. He stumbled backwards and as he did so, his hood fell onto his shoulders. 

Alina stepped back, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in shock. 

“Jasper!?” 

His well defined features stared at her with the same smirk she recognised, only broken up by his long wavy blonde hair. 

“I really did think you’d figure this out sooner, maybe you did, I wouldn’t be able to tell” he said, giving a nod to his inability to read her mind. 

As everyone raised their weapons at him and Strange and Cable dismantled the device from his wrists, cuffing him as they did so, Alina simply stared at him. 

How? 

 

// 

“So you want to explain how you know this maniac?” Fury demanded, as they stood looking through the double sided glass to Jasper who was seated, very calmly, looking straight back at them despite not being able to see him. 

“I… he was one of the enhanced I met in the final reality I visited before getting back here. IN fact, he… oh” she finished 

“What?” 

“He’s the one who showed me the abandoned Quantum Tunnel… I always thought it strange it was in such good nick” she muttered 

“What’s his deal?” Clint asked 

“He can read thoughts and, as far as I gathered, manipulate them. To an extent… I don’t know how far his talents reach though since I suspect he shielded me from them intentionally” 

“Is that why he wont stop staring at us?” Wade asked   
“Yes… He’s probably reading your thoughts” 

“Well that makes interrogation harder” Banner implied 

“He can’t read mine” she shrugged 

“Why not?” Loki asked, already enraged that this man had anything to do with Alina out of his sight. 

“I think the infinity stones mostly block alternate powers like that” 

“Alina sweetheart don’t take too long. I know it will be you in here anyway” Jasper spoke loudly at the glass

Alina grimaced. 

“Get in there Tiger” Cable said, patting her firmly on the shoulder 

“Absolutely not” Loki growled 

“Loki… it’s my job” she sighed 

“She’s the only one who’s mind can’t be read” Stark said 

“I agree with Loki. We shouldn’t put her in the room with someone who clearly has a vendetta, just murdered someone and can read others thoughts” Strange added 

“What? Thinking of not sending her in because you’re afraid of what I might do? Interesting really considering I can hear your thoughts regardless. They’re terribly loud” he spoke from inside the interrogation room

Alina raised her eyebrows at the group.

“You’re not going in there” Loki repeated himself 

“Yes, I am” Alina snapped, brushing past himself and Strange and appearing on the other side of the glass moments later. 

“Nice reality you got here” Jasper smiled his charming grin

“Shut the hell up” she replied

“They’re worried for you” he laughed, nodding to the darkened glass

“You know it’s quite rude to read other people’s minds jasp...er” she slipped up, calling him momentarily the nickname she had grown accustomed too.   
He smirked at her slip up. 

“It’s quite rude to block me from doing so” he replied, gesturing at her temple

She shook her head as his eyes bore into hers with the silent intensity of a wolf. Swallowing, she began her question round. 

“What’s going on Jasper? Who are you really?” 

“My name is actually Jasper, in case you were wondering Doll” he smirked, putting on a southern accent

Behind the glass Bucky hissed at the use of the nickname, something he often called Alina. 

“What, did that piss you off?” Jasper directed at the glass

Alina barely glanced behind her. 

“Can we stay on track please?” 

“They’re VERY overprotective of you. It’s like you’ve got 10 extra parents” he smirked 

There was a pause as he seemed to listen before his eyes flicked back to Alina and he licked his lips. 

“Oh… you don’t have parents how interesting” he continued, clearly reading the information from one of the team members thoughts 

“Jasper. On track? What have you been doing? Clearly the reality I met you in was not yours?” she questioned 

He shrugged a little in indifference. 

“I simply implanted myself into it” 

“How?! They said you’d been with them for a few years” Alina asked

“I made them think that sweetheart, try to keep up” he smiled 

“So you can manipulate thought processes” She cottoned on 

He shrugged 

“Did you kill them? Nara?” Alina asked 

“Dont be crude” he replied 

“And what about Luthor? You were his ‘sponsor’ as he put it. Why?”

“Let’s say I expanded his horizons” 

Alina stared at him. Something clicked. 

“It wasn’t him who wanted an enhanced army… it was you… you just manipulated his thinking into doing the work for him” 

Jasper smiled, letting out a small chuckle which faded into a smirk as he leant forward, his arms crossed on the table.

“Well done, Ali” 

He flinched a little as he looked over her shoulder at the glass. 

“Ooh that one hit a nerve” he smirked 

She shifted her shoulders feeling the weight of the others tension. 

“Why the enhanced?” 

He smiled at her sweetly. 

“Well you see about a year ago I was approached by a man in Russia who had heard of my rather, radical, ideas. He was the first person my theories ever…. Worked…. On. All the others just died. He developed similar powers to my own but so much more powerful. I couldn’t figure out why, out of every idiot in every reality I had tried, this had worked on him” 

Alina stared him down, her breath hitching in her throat. She once again saw him glance over her shoulder and a smirk play the corner of his mouth as he made eyecontact with her. 

“My my that is interesting. Demetri Aliyev it was indeed - a good guess by Miss Romanov. How curious that it was you in which he found and formed an obsession with” Jasper mused 

Alina felt numb. Her mouth and eyes were wide in shock as she felt a chill fall over her. This was the man responsible for months of fear and torture. If Jasper could create other’s like Demetri….

“Why an enhanced army?” she managed to get out, her voice slightly strained 

“The Quantum Realm has much potential. It can repair and change your molecules and physiology. Features and abilities can be formed in it unknown even to me” he smiled 

“Why then, am I being told you are changing fixed points in other realities?” she asked 

He shrugged 

“Unintentionally. They had things I needed. Some people from other realities survive better. You yourself were privy to that with the enhanced you met” he smiled 

“You were using them” she muttered 

“Sacrifices” he smiled 

Alina didn’t know what to say. The edge she had felt coming into interrogation had disappeared and she was instead replaced by a chilling fear that not even she could pinpoint. Instead of continuing, she pushed her chair back. The scraping sound it made should’ve caused shivers but instead she simply monotuously exited the room. 

Making her way back into the opposing room, she looked at the team.

“Do you mind keeping your thoughts to yourself next time?” she growled 

“I told you you shouldn’t have gone in there with him” Loki said, his eyes full of concern

She shook her head, frustrated. What did they know? 

“He’s the creator of the Shadow…” she trailed off

Looking down, she felt the atmosphere in the room change and her head snapped up. Steve and Tony were staring at her, even Fury had a hardened look in his eye. She knitted her eyebrows together, tipping her head questioningly at their glares. 

“Arrest her” Fury said 

“Excuse me?” she asked

She felt full hand handcuffs click onto her wrists as her arms were pulled behind her back and saw Clint punching in the code to lock them. She swiftly kicked his legs out from under him and moved for the door but was thrown to the side by Strange’s magic. Hitting the wall hard, she stumbled onto her feet and moved forward again, this time only to be slammed by the throat back into the wall by Loki. She felt the cut on her head bleeding as she struggled, unable to use her magic. 

“Agent Everton you are under arrest for restriction of proper justice, coercing with the enemy, and betraying classified SHIELD information” Steve said 

“What the f…” Alina began, she heard a chuckle from the door as Jasper was escorted past by SHIELD agents to his cell and realisation dawned on her. 

“You’re being tricked. Fuck sakes, Strange come on he’s messing with you” she said, glancing between Strange and Loki.

“I always thought there was something strange about your quantum realm work” Loki said as she struggled in his grasp.

This was the last thing she heard before he knocked her out with a punch to the head.


	24. Mind Games

She groaned as she woke, immediately aware of what had happened and the cold, hard floor beneath her. Eyes still closed, her hand brushed her temple where she felt a swelling bruise from Loki’s punch. 

“You woke up fast. With a punch like that I expected you to be out for another hour at least” Jasper’s voice rang out somewhat lazily. 

She looked up from the ground to see him sitting on a bed, tossing a little ball up and down as he smiled at her, one arm rested across his raised knee. Absently, she tasted blood in her mouth and lifted her hand to wipe the excess away. The handcuffs had been removed and she attempted to blast the glass door with her magic. It simply ricocheted back. 

“Neither of our abilities work outside this room unless that door is opened” Jasper smiled 

She pulled herself back against the wall, seated, her head was spinning from the knock and everything was buzzing as if it were further away. 

“Why did you not just use your abilities to free yourself when you had me arrested?” she muttered, looking down at her blood stained hand 

He laughed a little. It was strange recognising it as something threatening when it had been so homely for a while. 

“Unfortunately, my abilities are not extensive. In order to free myself and have you arrested I would have needed to manipulate most people on this base. Reading thoughts cost nothing, manipulating them costs energy - and some minds are stronger than others” he shrugged 

She glared at him, her mouth twitching a little. 

“You’re aware there are plenty of free cells” she groaned as she shifted slightly 

“I thought it would be more fun this way” 

“It’s not” 

“We’re not even at the fun part yet” 

She didn’t reply, her head still spinning - making it difficult to hear and move let alone have any form of cognitive thought process about what he meant. Somewhat absently, she heard his footsteps towards her and saw his shiny leather boots in front of her. He crouched down and tilted her chin up with one finger as she regarded him apathetically. 

“My my he really did get you in the sweet spot didn’t he” Jasper crooned, turning her head slightly to look at the bruise on her temple 

“Ever been punched by a god?” she muttered, blood showing on her teeth 

She let out a gasp of pain as Jasper pulled her upright. The room swayed in front of her as he mostly dragged her to the bed. Sitting down on the sheets, he pushed himself backwards to lean against the wall, his knees now beside her as he stretched out.

“You’re welcome” he remarked with a smirk

“You put me in this position” she murmured, her eyes falling in and out of focus. So much so that she could’ve sworn she saw the Avengers on the other side of the glass. 

“Well hello” Jasper said

Alina looked up painfully. It seemed her vision was correct as in front of the glass stood the majority of the Avengers. She noted Clint, Nat, Sam, Wade, Cable and Rhodey were all missing and loosely theorized she likely did Clint some damage when she knocked his legs out as well as Cable and Wade who had both been in the way as she had gone for the door.

“Alina” Steve said 

“Kid are you alright?” Tony asked

Alina looked at them hazily, a questioning look plastered on her face. Were they serious? She glanced to Jasper who pushed himself forward until he was sitting next to her, a sly smirk on her face. 

“Told you the fun hadn’t started yet” Jasper murmured in her ear 

“We dont know what came over us…” Bucky added, a pained look on his face as he watched his friend covered in blood sitting in a SHIELD holding cell with an interdimensional psychopath and murderer.

“This idiot’s mental manipulation came over you” Alina muttered 

“They really do not know what to do, how amusing” Jasper observed 

“I thought you said the glass stops our abilities?” Alina replied 

“Can’t stop me reading thoughts sweetheart” Jasper breathed in her face 

“Alina are you okay?” Strange asked, noticing her bleeding temple and mouth 

She nodded as slowly as she could to avoid the pain. Jasper smirked and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her head upwards. She gasped as the shooting pain went through her temple. Hearing Strange hiss, he let go, laughing a little. 

“Sorry, I just had to see the reaction” Jasper apologised, using his thumb to smudge a bit of blood from her mouth. 

She felt like she was about to pass out from the pain.

“We reviewed the security footage of the event” Thor said 

“I did that…. Im sorry. Im so sorry” Loki cut in, his eyebrows knitted together in pain as he looked at her 

Jasper was regarding him with a pursed smile as Alina simply nodded and waved it off a little. Her mouth tasted like copper and her head was spinning so badly she instinctively reached out beside her to steady herself. Jasper’s smirk deepened as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“How convenient of you to only give us one bed” he smiled at the group 

Loki hissed and laid his fist onto the glass with force, pressing his face against. 

“Know this mortal, if you so much as lay your hand on her I will kill you” 

Jasper raised an eyebrow. 

“And if you so much as try, I will have you kill her yourself. As slowly, and painfully, as you know how, in all the ways that I will know you know she fears” he replied, a laugh escaping his lips as he clearly scanned the thoughts of the group in front of him. 

“Stop it” Alina muttered, her hand now gripping Jasper’s coat as she tried to tie herself to reality. She slumped forward slightly and Jasper pulled her back up. 

“You really hit her quite hard” he remarked, tilting her head up a little as he turned the cut on her temple to face the avengers. 

Loki practically flinched as his eyes hardened at the sight of what he had done. A mortal body being punched by a God, even if it did not have the strength of Thor, could do some painful damage regardless of any Infinity stones.

“Get her out of there” Strange muttered quietly to Tony

“We can’t” Tony shifted a little 

“Why not?” Loki whipped around 

“That glass and it’s shield are the only thing stopping him from controlling us again. As soon as we open it, he can get ahold of us…” Tony trailed off 

“For god sake” Steve said, exasperated

“It’s bad we are even all here considering he can still read our thoughts” Banner added 

Jasper chuckled to himself as this argument went on. 

“This isn’t fun” Alina muttered, slumping forward slightly again 

“Debatably” he smirked back

She groaned a little in pain and saw the black spots appearing in her vision. 

“Ali?” she heard Loki sound but she was too far gone to even pretend she was fine. She fell forward and felt a pair of firm arms catch her and swing her up. It felt better with her eyes closed, the light not boring into them quite so much. 

She heard a low growl from Loki as Jasper held her, still seated on the bed. 

“Well, perhaps you shouldn’t have hit her so hard” he said, in response to the god’s thoughts 

She heard Loki’s fist hit the glass and a scuffling sound that she could only assume was Thor pulling him back a little.

“She needs her head checked” Strange said quietly 

“We can’t get a med vac team in there” Tony replied 

“Tony she’s in pain!” Strange argued 

“I’ll check it?” Peter added 

“Kid we can’t open that glass for anyone, you’re no exception, and I am definitely not letting you in there either way” Stark responded sharply 

Jasper glanced curiously at Peter. His youthful and naive thoughts were amusing, not nearly as similar of the dark thoughts he could hear running through Loki and Strange’s minds. He pushed a piece of hair out of her face, her eyes still closed and her eyebrows furrowed. He heard the thought explosions of Loki and had to refrain from his smirk widening. After all, he didn’t want to let them know to what extent he was messing with them. It could be entertaining to make the god wonder what his intentions might be, rather than to simply be obvious about his provoking, self-made entertainment. 

In front of him, one of Loki’s clones appeared as he stalked towards the pair. Alina opened her eyes only to look a little shocked. It took her a moment to process that it was a clone in front of her as the real Loki stood behind the glass with his arms folded, smirking as he thought he had clearly found a way to dupe the man. The clone stopped in front of them and crouched down to look at Alina’s head. 

“Loki!” Thor hissed 

Loki’s clone smirked at Jasper who in turn, responded the smirk. Loki looked at him quizzically before his eyes glazed over. 

“Oh no LOKI! Get your clone the fuck out of there. NOW!” Stark yelled 

On the outside, Loki’s eyes had half clouded over too. Thor shook him only to get nothing. 

In the cell, Loki’s clone picked Alina up by the neck as she cried out in pain and then struggled. She choked a little as she was slammed up against the wall as Jasper watched on, his eyebrows raised as he leant back a little on the bed. Alina went to activate her magic to throw Loki off of her but was swiftly punched in the head once again and tossed to the floor. Face down she attempted to pull herself up when Loki threw a kick into her ribs and she rolled, choking and gasping for air. With a final bout of energy, she used the power stone to dissipate his clone, collapsing onto the cold floor. As soon as the clone disappeared, Loki outside shook his head properly and was promptly slammed up against the glass by Strange. 

“You fucking idiot. Look what you’ve done now” He growled angrily 

“How…” Loki trailed, attempting to figure it out 

“Your clones are still connected to your central thoughts system. Think of it as accessing you remotely” Jasper smiled   
“Alina!” Loki cried out as his eyes focussed on her on the floor, blood dripping from her face and mouth and her arms wrapped around her ribs. She could barely open her eyes and opted to keep them closed as the whiteness of the cell and the reflections off the glass bore into her skull. 

“You’re a monster” Steve said 

“Why? I’m not the one who did that” Jasper smirked, standing lightly from the bed and striding across to Alina. He knelt down and rolled her rather gently onto her back as she gasped. 

“Please stop. She’s hurt!” Peter begged 

This was the last thing she heard before Jasper picked her up and she promptly lost consciousness. 

//

Her head hurt less when she woke up and she realised she was laid on something soft and was warm. She rolled slightly and turned into Jasper, who had one arm lazily around her. He raised an eyebrow as she processed what was happening, clearly still heavily concussed. 

“You know… when you’re weak like this I can hear some of your thoughts” he smirked

“Sht.. shut up” she managed, unable to sit up due to the throbbing in her head.

He pinched her neck and she felt a horrible shooting pain and her body go weak. Her laboured breathing the only sound in the room. As she did so, she felt a strange sedation come over her and an urge to sit up that she couldn’t control. 

“Interesting…” Jasper murmured as she involuntarily sat up, him following her 

There was a bang and some footsteps and once again, the Avengers appeared. This time, the whole crew was here and they did not look happy. 

Clint slammed a hand onto the glass as he saw Alina covered in blood and clearly injured sitting in a SHIELD holding cell. He blamed himself, having watched the security footage of him restraining her in cuffs Strange glanced to Tony as they both registered an oddly vacant look in her eyes.

“Jasper, I think it’s time you allow us to take her out” Nat said calmly 

Jasper laughed. 

“You know, I really have Mr Laufeyson to thank for this. When she’s this weakened, prior to my original thoughts, I can take some control over her autonomy” he laughed 

“Dude get into ventriloquism or something” Deadpool added 

Jasper tucked a piece of hair behind Alina’s ear and smirked as he read the angry thoughts of those in front of him. 

‘If he even dare touches her again…’ Strange’s thoughts ricocheted 

Gently, he tipped her chin and put his lips to her ear. 

“Now… don’t you find this fun?” he smiled, his lips catching the sensitive place between her ear and jaw causing her to flinch a little at the sensation 

‘I am going to kill him’ Bucky’s thoughts responded

Loki’s were the loudest however, mainly various ways to dismember him and worry for what he had done to the woman.

Raising her eyes, Alina snapped out of her trance and grabbed Jasper’s arm, turning it and throwing him back onto the bed as she fastened a hand around his throat to hold him down. He laughed up at her, she clearly did not currently have a lot of strength as her arm shook at the energy it took to hold him. 

“Enough” she muttered through the dryness of her bloody mouth 

He flipped her with ease and with a single kick, sent her across the room into the glass. She hit it with a crack and immediately collapsed to the ground. As she desperately tried to pull herself up, he began to walk towards her. 

“Super Strength is part of the package, remember Ali?” he said as he picked her up and put her on her feet. 

She was still gasping horribly for air and was now the closest to the Avengers since her imprisonment. 

“What do you want?” Fury asked grimly 

“Ooh have I made you desperate so soon?” Jasper smiled as he back Alina against the glass, one hand around her throat as he faced them 

“You have sent my team on a rampage, imprisoned one of my best agents, and had her subject to friendly fire. I would say you’ve made me very desperate” he responded, his eyes travelling up Alina’s blood stained arm as she held onto his forearm of which the hand was firmly around her throat.

Jasper shrugged. 

“I haven’t had this much fun in years” he replied as he held Alina strongly against the glass 

“Enough, Jasp” she choked out, unable to prevent herself from using his nickname. He smiled at her, one corner of his mouth twitching up as he pushed himself against her, his hand still firmly around her throat. His body on top of hers, he leant down slightly so that his dirty blonde hair was brushing her face. 

“Not until I say so” he murmured, his lips brushing hers

Loki slammed his fist into the glass hard enough to cause an external crack. Jasper smiled against Alina’s lips, glancing up and the God and winking as he did so. Pulling back from his kiss, he smirked at the group as Alina struggled again, her vision resolving into more black spots as she now not only dealt with the concussion but the lack of air she was currently getting.

Cable grunted. 

“Uhhh hey buddy where I’m from that’s sexual assault” Deadpool pointed out

“Would you prefer next time I made her want it?” Jasper smiled, glancing down at Alina

“No” Bucky hissed 

“I cannot wait to kill you” Clint smiled tightly 

Jasper tilted his head down at Alina as some of her thoughts came through. His smirk deepened as he realised the importance of them and he glanced up to Loki, who’s fist was still planted against the glance. 

“Engaged?” he smiled as he felt Loki’s thought tempo change

“How…?” Nat asked 

“When she’s weakened, I can hear her subconscious thoughts, just some of them” he replied, somewhat annoyed he had to explain himself.

He looked directly at Loki with a smile. 

“Stay out of her head” Stark growled 

“No wonder she’s having second thoughts about the marriage” Jasper grinned 

Inwardly, Alina was screaming at him to shut up but right now, the only thing keeping her standing was his hand around her throat holding her up. 

“What?” Loki hissed 

“Hm… It seems she thinks that you do not want this life, that you’re...unhappy with your choice. And… Well that you do not want to have a wife who is involved in such things” he gestured to the room, laughing as Alina opened her eyes and glared at him. 

Her anger at his invasion of her privacy gave her a new bout of strength and she promptly punched him in the face. He staggered backwards as she laid another hit. He, in turn, landed a kick into her chest which sent her back into the glass and he held her by the neck, this time with harshness as she choked. 

“Behave yourself Ali” he crooned 

She spat blood in his face and he used his freehand to wipe it off in disgust. Raising his fist, she heard Peter cry out. 

“NO!” 

His fist connected and it all went dark. 

// 

“It isn’t your fault Loki” Nat said as they all sat in the briefing room 

“Apart from when you thought putting your clone in there was a goddamned good idea” Strange hissed 

Nat glared at him, willing him to shut up. Loki was distressed. Not simply at the damage he had done or the situation his fiance was in but at the thoughts Jasper had revealed to him. Did Alina seriously think she wasn’t what he wanted? That she wasn’t good enough for him? Is this why she had been putting off the wedding? Engaging in so much work? To give him a chance to pull out? He shook his head. 

“It is my fault” he muttered 

“Yeah I mean maybe a little” Rhodey said 

Stark put his head in his hand as he shook it. 

‘What?!’ Rhodey mouthed 

“What do we do?” Bucky asked, his voice gravelly after spending the past few hours discussing with Steve various ways to rip Jasper’s arms from his body. 

“None of us can get in there. We just get controlled” Sam pointed out

“Well I mean… unless he’s unconscious” Peter said 

“Too much risk, he could simply wake up at any second” Banner added 

“No No hear the kid out… He said unconscious not asleep” Deadpool replied 

“Yeah but we can’t get in there to knock him out” Banner replied 

“Who said we needed to be in there….?” Tony said 

“Yes I am so glad boss man is finally tag teaming me!” Pool announced 

“You, shut up. JARVIS do we still have external electric bombs?” Tony asked 

“Yes sir, of course” 

“Tony that’ll knock her out too” Clint pointed out

“Well would we prefer them both unconscious so we can get her out or do we wanna leave her in there?” Tony asked 

“Couldn’t he read our thoughts and know we are gonna do that?” Peter asked 

“Not if we don’t go near the cell till he’s knocked out” Banner answered 

“Just get her the hell out of there” Strange said, glancing around the room

They all nodded in agreement. 

“So here’s the plan. We’re going to drop one of these from the ceiling, knocking them both out. Then Thor buddy, you’re going to go in with Strange and get Alina out of there. We shut the door again and he’s stuck” Tony said 

“Why Thor and Strange?” Nat asked 

“Do you want to carry her out of there?” Stark asked 

“I could” Nat pointed out 

“The point is that Thor and Strange have the best chance of knocking Jasper out in the case that he somehow wakes up quickly” 

“I’d beg to differ” Nat smirked 

“Fair point” Clint nodded 

“Anyway, let’s just do this” 

 

// 

She was certainly feeling worse for wear when she woke up this time around. Several hits to the face and what felt like a few cracked ribs from being kicked not just by Loki but by Jasper as he sent her across the room. She coughed up blood, spitting it onto the tiled ground. From behind she heard a chuckle. 

“Well you’re lucky I placed you in the recovery position” Jasper said from the bed 

She groaned in response, dragging herself to her hands and knees and then back onto her thighs as she looked at him, one hand down behind her to hold herself up. He surveyed her, a small smirk on his lips. A bout of weakness over took her and she fell forward, barely stopping her face connecting with the tiles. She heard him stand hastily as he took the few steps towards her and crouched down. 

“Don’t touch me” she hissed 

He laughed, infuriating her more, as he completely ignored her demand and pulled her up until she was standing. Barely, however, as he had both hands on either sides of her shoulders holding her up. Once again, she felt the strange sedation that had occurred before when the avengers had appeared. She couldn’t fight it, however, and she absently registered him chuckling as she leant into his chest with unfocussed eyes.   
//  
Watching over the security cameras, Loki felt the adrenaline in his body spike. How dare this mortal touch her like this? Strange, who was also watching with Thor, waiting for Tony to prep the electric bomb, place a hand on Loki’s shoulder. 

“Don’t do anything stupid” he warned as they listened to Jasper speak to Alina. 

//

“Im not sure if I like you better sedated or not” Jasper smiled, swaying Alina back and forth gently 

She could barely respond, simply letting out something akin to a hum as her head span and her body fell weak. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you quite so hard earlier. I am not Loki after all” Jasper smirked, tilting her chin up to look him in the eyes. 

She looked at him with her blood stricken face, her eyes flitting across his sharp features. He presented a sort of cockiness that suggested he knew what he was doing. He seemed to be examining her face like she was prey, a hungry look in his eyes as he took in her parted lips and vacant stare. With a smirk, his eyes flicked up to the security camera in the corner before he tilted her head and pressed his lips against hers.   
// 

Loki stood up, walked to the corner of the room and threw his fist into the wall. 

“Loki” Thor warned as he moved for the door 

Strange used his runes to stop him. Loki spun towards him. 

“He is using his mind bending to manipulate and touch her like that!” Loki hissed, rage distorting his features as his fists balled and his breathing became heavy in anger. 

“You barge in there right now and all he’s going to do is control you like he did before” Strange yelled. He was no more happy about the situation than Loki but he was not predisposed to being an idiot. Years as a doctor taught him that, sometimes, patience was key.

“I will not let him” Loki growled 

“And I WILL NOT let you leave this room” Strange replied as the argument became heated 

“You will!” 

“You think I do not care for her just as you do?! I am her guardian and she is my student. You think I want to see her trapped in there like this? NO! But I wasn’t the one who acted out of place, and in turn, ended up injuring her Loki!” Strange growled

Loki fell silent, glaring at the man. 

“Fine. But if Stark does not sort this out soon I will be going in there” he muttered

“Perhaps you should stop watching brother” 

 

“No. I need to know what he does so I know how painful to make his death” 

//

“You know, you and I Miss Everton would make an exceptionally powerful duo and I could see you as an excellent trainer to my enhanced” 

Alina shook her head, slowly shaking his abilities. 

“Never” 

“Don’t be sour now. Don’t tell me you can’t see this too. You and I, travelling realities, adventuring, exploring - isn’t that what you want after all?” 

“You tell me” she muttered 

“I already know” he laughed 

“Then why ask?” 

“Because I want to hear you say it. I want to hear you tell me you don’t want to conform, to be a princess, that you want to keep adventuring and working and exploring your power” 

“Jasper shut the hell up”

“Sweetheart there’s no need to -” 

There was a clink as something metal fell from the ceiling and hit the floor. They both looked down to see a small metal ball, perhaps the size of a tennis ball, on the ground between their feet. They looked down at it curiously as it suddenly expanded. Electric volts ran through their bodies as they threw their heads back in pain. As suddenly as it came, they collapsed to the floor, unconscious.


	25. Take on Me

This time as she woke, it was in HQ’s med bay. She felt far more with it, her head no longer banging and the blood cleaned from her mouth and nose. As she gently detangled the IV drip from her arm, she waved a hand and changed from her baggy hospital gown into her black shield uniform. Walking out from behind the curtain she fluidly blended into the other agents and doctors walking around, none of them suspecting that a mere moment ago she had been a patient. 

Reaching the outside stairs, she hopped lightly down them and walked fluidly towards the main building. As she did so, she glanced at the entrance to the holding cells and paused as she was faced with the decision of either continuing to find the others or going and seeing if Jasper had remained there. For a long moment she stared at the holding building, a strangely conflicting feeling coming over her. Shaking it off, she turned towards the HQ main building and began walking towards it. As she did so, she saw the Avengers in the glass briefing room glance down at her. She made eye contact with Steve and raised her eyebrow. Doing so, Loki appeared a few metres in front of her and she stopped dead in her tracks. 

She still felt an uncontrollable anger at him for the several punches he had laid into her and the kick that had cracked a rib. Crossing her arms, she glared at him frostily. 

“Alina I am sorry” 

“I don’t want to hear it” 

“Darling can we please talk about this”

Alina picked up a rock and threw it through his illusion, causing it to flicker. He dropped his arms and moved his head back as his expression conveyed the sigh he let out. He understood, but it still wasn’t nice. 

“Not right now” she replied, throwing another stone through his illusion 

Above, Steve and Bucky chuckled 

“Darling…-” 

Alina waved a hand and dissipated his illusion, continuing to the building and heading up the elevator. As she entered the briefing room, her eyes flicked to the real Loki, who’s chin was resting on his hand as he watched her somewhat sulkily. 

“You electrocuted me” she said, her eyes flicking to Tony 

“I can put you back in the cell with him if you like” Tony smirked 

“Hard pass” she replied, a small smile tweaking the corner of her lips 

“Had to be done, sorry” Steve smiled 

“Glad to have you back” Bucky said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leant into him, wrapping one arm around his waist and giving him a squeeze

“I’ve done worse” she smirked 

“Fine Im not glad to have you back” he teased 

She let out a smile which bordered on the smallest of laughs.

Strange appeared beside her and she looked up at him. He allowed the smallest of twitches to pull at the corner of his mouth as he returned her gaze. 

“Alright so now everyone’s flowers and buttercups” Cable growled

“You do know buttercups are flowers… right?” Deadpool asked, scratching the back of his head. 

Cable glared at him before turning back to the room. 

“What do we do?” he continued 

“Well, I say our best option is to send you two back through to where you came from and then destroy the Quantum Tunnel, along with any other ones we’re aware of. At least that way if freakazoid escapes, he isn’t going to get very far” Tony said 

“That’s years of research!” Hank interjected 

“He could raise an enhanced army and kill us all” Tony replied 

“Not to mention the hundreds he’s already killed trying” Rhodey pointed out 

“I dont care as long as I get to go home” Cable grunted 

“I am not destroying years of research” Hank repeated 

“Dad…” Hope chimed in 

“This guy can control minds and wants to create an enhanced army using your research and you seriously think saving it is more important that stopping this happening?! Look at what he did to us! To Alina!” Strange growled 

“We must destroy this technology before it becomes apparent” Thor agreed

“No” Alina said 

The whole room stopped and looked at her. Including Pym, who was surprised at her agreement with him considering the ordeal she had been put through at the expense of his research. 

“Excuse me?” Clint asked 

“We can’t destroy it… Not yet” Alina said 

“Are you kidding... “ Tony asked in disbelief 

“Why not?” Steve inputted 

“Because… we need to figure out what’s going on before we get rid of it. Its a whole other realm and we’ve already been privy to the power of it. Just because we destroy our Quantum Tunnels doesn’t mean others, in other realities, won’t use theirs to access our reality. How do we know Jasper doesn’t have other’s out there who are willing and capable of reality jumping who could do so at whim?” Alina pointed out 

The room fell silent.

“Plus… my case isn’t finished” she muttered 

Steve sighed, placing a hand on his hip and the other on the chair beside him. 

“I say we leave it for the night. Tony, Bruce, Hank and Erik talk over our options with Cable and Wade and we go from there. Alina’s right though - we need to figure out if there is more threat out there” 

“Fine but I’m not going near Jasper” Tony said

“No one does. We don’t want him knowing our idea” Nat added

Alina nodded and began to exit the room, brushing out the door and into the hallways. Loki followed her with haste, falling into pace beside her as she dropped down several floors and buildings until she reached the building where their bedrooms were kept. She didn’t say a word to him the entire time and he continuously glanced at her with a concerned expression; his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth fluctuating between the start of a question and a tight lipped chew of the cheek. 

As they neared her door, she pushed it open and then promptly shut it in his face. He stood, facing the door realising the magnitude of her pain at his actions no matter how out of his control they may have been. Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and walked in after her, closing the door rather gently. She turned to face him. 

“Seriously?” she said 

“Can we please talk about this?” 

She sighed and let her shoulders drop. 

“I just want to sleep” 

“Ali, I’m sorry” he said as he approached her, placing one hand on her waist and using the other to brush the cut on her temple. It still stung and ached and she flinched back from his touch, causing him to give a pained frown. 

“I never would’ve done such a monstrous thing had I been in control of my actions” he continued 

She nodded and leant her head into his chest gently. 

“I know. I know, I’m sorry. It’s just hard not to be angry when it looked like you and felt like you and acted as you may in that situation” she apologised 

“Do not apologise. I harmed you” 

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed her head into his chest a little more as they stood there. In turn he placed one hand around her shoulder and the other in her hair as they stood there quietly, simply enjoying one another's embrace for the first time in a while. After a few minutes of quiet, Loki gently pulled them both down to sit on the bed. She had her legs slightly across his lap as he looked at her, brushing a piece of hair from her face. 

“Ali… What Jasper said when he read your thoughts… do you really think that?” Loki broke the silence, somewhat uncertainly 

Alina looked at him for a long moment as she thought of her answer. 

“Yes” she said simply

“Why would you think that I would EVER regret you?” he asked, finally looking up at her from where he had been staring at the ground

Alina felt a tight feeling in her chest; the knotted up anxiety of all the feelings she had back on this subject. 

“Because… you’re a prince and I guess, I am expected to be a princess. But this is my work, my passion, how I am used to living my life now. Part of my decision to return to the living world with the Infinity Stones was not only to become their guardians but was because I saw the potential work I could be doing and people I could be helping with them. But all that doesn’t come without it’s risks and I could see how unhappy you were getting, wondering when I was going to get hurt or killed” 

“And that’s why you’ve been pushing back the wedding?” 

“Yes… I thought if I pushed it back it would give you the chance to back out, to avoid resentment or regret. So you could lead the life you want” 

“The only life I want to lead is one where you are by my side Alina. Your life is my life. You forget I have been doing this game of risk for far longer than you. I would never, never, ask you to give your life up for me. I love you. You’re all I want and I don’t care how I get that as long as you’re by my side. I could never resent you darling” 

Alina looked at him with glazed eyes as she bit her lip, the emotion she had been bottling up and building up for the past 6 months finally being released. Loki reached forward and gently wiped a few tears away. She didn’t flinch this time, instead leaning into his hand. 

“I’m not going anywhere” he continued firmly 

“I love you Loki” 

“I love you too Ali” he said fondly, pulling her into him as he kissed her gently, his hands cupping her face as she responded. One hand rested on his chest and the other on his cheek. She wrapped her legs around his waist so she was sitting on top of him as she kissed him. 

Breaking, she laughed with her nose pressed against his. He too chuckled as one hand moved down to her waist. 

“So, just to clarify, I most definitely want nothing more than to marry you” he smiled, his voice a little hoarse with emotion

“Asgard? Earth?” Alina asked 

“You know we could’ve discussed this six months ago” he laughed breathily as she whacked his shoulder 

He picked her up and span her around her as she laughed, her hair whipping his face slightly. 

“Midgard, I think” he finally answered 

“You think?” she smiled 

“It is your home after all”

“Asgard is your home though!” 

“No, my home is with you” he replied 

She kissed him deeply. 

“What about Frigga and Odin? The Warriors 3? Your kingdom?” 

 

“I never wanted a royal wedding darling - they’re far too tacky for my liking. Mother and Odin as well as our friends will have no issue making the trip to Midgard - you forget they do so at leisure” 

“So we’ve narrowed it down to Midagrd… That only leaves like 7 continents and millions of locations” she teased

“Think about it” he smiled   
“I’ll add it to the list” 

“You’re not letting Stark decide anything to do with the wedding though, right?” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it” she smirked 

He let out a sigh of relief.

“How do Asgardian weddings work anyway?” Alina asked 

“They’re very similar to Midgardian weddings - just far more extravagant and far more nuances to explain during ceremony” he laughed 

“No wonder you do not want an Asgardian wedding” 

“Well, the whole palace is required to attend just as they would for a coronation. It’s… problematic and very unsentimental” he smiled 

“You do not seem to overly the type to be bothered on sentimentalities” she smiled as he sat back down with her

“Yes well, with you I do not feel I want the entire kingdom privy to our wedding” he replied 

She laughed as she rolled off of him and stretched out on the bed. It felt relieving to finally have the weight of the wedding and it’s emotional uncertainty off of her chest. He looked down at her with a smile as she lazily returned his gaze. Those few days in confinement, as well as the physical abuse and mental manipulation had really drained her energy and she felt sleepy despite it only being late afternoon. Loki recognised this and gently lay down beside her, slipping an arm around her and playing with her hair. It wasn’t long until she was asleep and absently rolled over, placing a hand on his chest as she snuggled into his side. He smiled at the roof as he held her and felt the relief that came with finally having answers about why their wedding was constantly being pushed back. 

They woke to a knock on the door. 

“Come in” Loki said in a husky voice from hours of sleeping. The alarm clock told him it was 8am. 

The door creaked open and Alina turned her eyes to the door to see Peter peeping around it rather sheepishly. 

“Uh, sorry hey um..” he said somewhat nervously as the pair stared at him 

“Hey Pete, come in” she stretched slightly, sitting up and tossing her messy hair to one side. 

He shuffled into the room and looked in between the two, standing awkwardly with his hands behind his back. Alina slapped the bed, indicating he should sit down. 

“Really?” he said excitedly 

“Yeah cmon” she smiled 

He made his way to the bed, leaving the door ajar. Loki remained lying down, his hands behind his head as he regarded Peter who softly jumped onto the bed alongside Alina. 

“What’s up Pete?” she asked, running a hand through her hair 

“Um.. I just wanted to check if you were okay after everything” he said uncertainly 

“Yeah I’m okay. Better now, actually” she smiled

“Really? That’s good! Well uh..” he trailed off

“Peter?” she questioned, a small laugh on her lips as he fiddled nervously 

“I got you a present” he said shyly 

She raised an eyebrow at him as he fumbled around in his pockets and handed her a something wrapped in brown paper. 

“What’s this?” she asked, as she began to unwrap it 

“Well… You see recently Aunt May was seeing a guy who was from New Zealand and he started talking about how the indigenous people over there have this special type of necklace called a Greenstone necklace - it’s meant to protect you from bad omens, with certain designs meaning different things.You’re only allowed to gift them, never to buy for yourself… So… I got you one because I thought you’d need it” Peter finished as she finally managed unwrap his gift. 

She lifted the necklace up to reveal a beautiful greenstone necklace in a twist design that had gold embedded in it which followed the twist of the necklace. Loki sat up to look at it as Alina dangled it. He outstretched two fingers to examine the piece in awe. 

“Peter this is beautiful” he said in appreciation

“What does this design mean?” Alina asked 

“Uh, it’s a twist. It’s meant to represent connections with people in your life. The twist is like the never ending connection and it’s meant to show you’ll never lose that connection. Like you and Mr Loki…. But also anyone in your life. Like the way the twist always returns, you’ll grow, but at some point, you’ll return to the people who care for you most.” he smiled   
Alina was choking back tears at this point as she pulled Peter into a tight hug. He responded happily. 

“Im glad you like it!” He grinned into her hair 

“Peter that is a beautiful gift how could I not love it” she murmured back, hugging him tighter. As she pulled back, Loki gently tightened the necklace around her neck and she touched the small twist pendant gently. 

Peter grinned at her as he admired the pendant. 

“It matches your eyes” Loki murmured appreciatively

“Can I come to the wedding?” Peter asked 

“Pete you were gonna come to the wedding regardless” Alina laughed 

“I just had to make sure” he smiled 

“I believe the Midgardian’s call it groomsmen” Loki replied 

“No that’s like your bridal party. Like your best man would be Thor, I imagine anyway, and then you’d have a few other men who you liked or were friends with, who were you groomsmen” 

“I know what I said” Loki replied 

Alina raised an eyebrow at him with a small smile. Peter suddenly clicked. 

“REALLY!? Oh my god! This is the best day of my life!” he grinned 

“You have super powers” Alina laughed 

“I know what I said” Peter replied, attempting to mirror Loki’s accent 

“What the hell is going on in here?” Steve’s voice laughed from the doorway. 

“Mr Rogers!!! LOki just said I can be a groomsman at his wedding!” 

“Did he now?” Steve smirked 

“YES! Im going to tell Mr. Stark!” Peter said, hurriedly running from the room, using his webbing to boost him up the staircase. 

“He’s not going to shut up about that for days” Steve smiled 

“Weeks” Alina amended 

Steve nodded, glancing down at her necklace and raising an eyebrow questioningly. 

“A gift, from Spiderboy” 

“IT’S SPIDERMAN!” she heard Peter yell from 3 floors up 

Steve laughed and unfolded his arms to scratch his head. 

“Well, briefing in a half hour, if Tony recovers from the heart attack he’s about to have before then” Steve smirked, before walking off down the hallway. 

Upstairs they heard Tony yell. 

“REINDEER GAMES DID WHAT!? HE THREW ME OUT A WINDOW HE SHOULDA ASKED ME FIRST!” 

This was followed by Nat’s hysterical laughing and what sounded like a highfive which Alina could only imagine was between her and Clint. 

Alina and Loki glanced to one another with a smile on their faces as they jumped up and hastily got changed, ready to face the world once again.


	26. Jasper

“Hold on before we start this meeting I’d just like to readdress the fact that Loki asked Spiderkid to be his groomsman before any of us” Stark said from the head of the table 

“Christ Tony, the mounting time pressure?” Hope chided 

“I’m just saying, he literally threw me out the window” 

“How could we forget?” Strange sighed 

“No matter, I am going to be the officiator after all” Tony smirked 

“Tony you have to be qualified to do that” Alina pointed out 

“And I am” he replied, pulling out a piece of paper and pushing it across the desk to Alina. She picked it up and examined it, before passing it to Nat next to her who did the same. 

“This is real” Nat smirked 

“How on fucks earth” Clint said 

“It’s been like 45 minutes since you found out Peter was a groomsman” Thor said

“I can decrypt nuclear codes boys, what makes you think I can’t get a registry licence in under a half hour” 

“Oh my god” 

Alina passed Nat twenty dollars under the table. They had a bet running on how soon Stark would do something stupid and reactionary. Nat had said under an hour. Alina, who figured what harm could he do in an hour, had said half a day. She had lost miserably. Nat smirked at her as she tucked the bill into her bra. Across the table, Steve’s eyes flitted between them, one finger slightly in between his lips as he held back a smirk which would no doubt follow into a laugh. 

“ANYWAY” Alina said pointedly 

“Right so we sent the grumpy bucky knock off and suit guy off this morning. Figured it’d be easier to have them out of the picture now that they had sorted their grievances out although I did really want to see that guys face. No one else?” Stark said 

Bucky crossed his arms at the lazy nickname, eyeing up Stark. 

“We’ve got a breach in section 4B. This is an Orange code” A voice rang out over the speaker system 

“Jasper” Steve said, immediately rising as they recognised the holding cell name 

“Tic Tac, Spidey, Bucky, Steve. You guys come with me, we’ll go to the cells. Make sure everything is locked down, he might still be there” Sam continued 

“Loki, Thor and Strange - you guys secure all the loose quantum tech in Hanger Z. Make sure none of it’s missing and DO NOT let him get his hands on it. Don’t let him in or out; It’s in lockdown.” Steve said 

“Hope, Banner, Rhodey - protect Pym and Selvig and any other Quantum Scientists, get them safely out of the base. We don’t know how much Jasper knows or how much he needs them” 

“Ali, Clint and Nat…. you guys come with me. We’re going to the Quantum Generator” Stark demanded 

“Are you sure Alina should be near the generator?” Rhodey asked 

“She’s the only one of us he can’t control. She’s our last line of defence” Stark nodded 

They looked around in agreement before taking off their separate ways. 

Alina, Nat and Clint hurried side by side down the corridor. Barton and Nat readying their weapons as Stark formed his nanosuit around him. Jumping over the stair railing, they fluidly fell several floors down and rolled as they landed, Alina catching Nat and Clint with her magic to make their landings a little more smooth. Clint nodded to her appreciatively. 

As they entered the warehouse where the Quantum Tunnel was housed, it remained quiet and eerie. Their footsteps echoed off the concrete flooring as they moved across it. Evacuated, the scientists had left behind their pens and coats, giving the atmosphere a strange post apocalyptic feeling. As Stark tapped into the control system, Alina, Clint and Nat stood in a line several metres in front of the generator. 

“Hasn’t been accessed since we sent those two through early this morning” Stark confirmed as he relocked the control panels. 

“Well at least we know he’s still here” Clint said 

“Fun” Nat replied 

“Oh cmon Nat don’t pretend like you don’t love a bit of action” 

“We’re not even getting the action” she smirked 

“Title of your sex tape” Stark said 

“Not you too Stark” Alina replied 

They stood listening for a moment. They couldn’t hear the sounds of any fighting or disturbance. 

“What if he decides to just gap the base?” Nat asked 

“He can’t. I had all the shields put up. He has to be inside somewhere” 

There was a slow clapping from in between the crowd of weapons and other confiscated tech. Tony looked to the noise as Alina and Nat glanced to one another. 

“You know, you’re really creepy” Stark said, causing Clint to smirk. 

The smirk dropped of his face as he saw who accompanied Jasper out of the distraction of the tech. Laura and his kids. 

“What…” Stark said

“I needed bargaining chips and what better than this” Jasper spread his arms out gently. 

“How… you’ve been on base the whole time” Alina said 

“Let them go Jasper” Nat continued 

“Oh I have had them hidden away under my control since before you captured me. After all, I had to have someone to get me out” he smirked

Alina glanced to Clint, who was frozen to the spot looking at his wife and two kids. Their eyes were glazed over, clearly under his control. Clint’s breathing was heavy and his shoulders tense. 

“What do you want?” Stark asked tensley, now hyper aware that there were children at risk. 

“Well it’s fascinating you see. This device here… it needs quantum energy before accessing the quantum realm in order to travel through it” he replied, tapping his wrist to show the same circular device which Cable had worn. 

“And?”

“And so I need her” he said, pointing at Alina 

Clint tensed up again. Alina was like his 3rd child and he’d be damned if he let her come to harm but in front of him stood his wife and kids. 

 

“I do what you want and you let them go” Alina said lowly 

Nat glanced at her. Normally, she would’ve argued but this was Laura they were talking about and her god kids. 

“They’re just kids” Stark said

As he began to talk to Jasper, Alina subtly used her magic to free Laura of Jasper’s control. She made heavy eye contact with her, urging her to play along. Slowly, she walked forward, hands in the air to show she had no weapons, until she was standing right in front of Jasper, Laura and the kids. Protectively, she put herself between Jasper and Clint’s family as she began to speak. 

“What do you need?” she murmured 

“I need your Quantum Energy” 

Alina nodded. 

“How? What do I have to do?” she asked 

“Put your hand on top of it firstly” he smirked, almost making fun of her need to ask. Stupidity, he thought. 

She placed her hand on his wrist and looked into his eyes. The strange golden blue to them had always been intriguing. Pretending to be lost and fascinated, she distracted him. With a flick of the wrist, she threw up a golden shield behind her, protecting Laura and the kids from Jasper’s control and harm. 

“Stark get them out of here” she growled. 

Tony moved to do so and then stopped. Alina looked at him and then made eye contact with Nat. 

“GET DOWN” she yelled as Stark blasted at them. 

Nat and Clint rolled out of the way as Alina threw a punch into Jasper’s face. With her free hand, she released Stark from his mind control and gestured with her head towards Laura. He immediately made for them and Alina used her energy to block Jasper’s attempts to regain control over Tony. He got them up in his arms and flew out of the room at speed. With the civilians clear, Alina nodded to Nat and Clint and the three assassins began to fight.   
It was a fast moving game as they each took hits to Jasper. He was freakishly strong and Alina had to jump between releasing Nat and Clint from his control and making sure she didn’t Quantum phase, unless that triggered his wrist device. 

Nat got her legs around his head and was on top, reigning terror as she brought her arms down over his head. Clint got his bow to Jaspers legs, hard enough to cripple him but not enough to send him down. With his superior strength, Jasper simply bent slightly before grabbing Nat by her waist and throwing her across the room. Catching Clint’s forearm, he punched him in the face before also directing him in the same direction as Nat. He was distracted however and Alina froze his feet to the spot before bringing his hands down with the mindstone. He screamed and struggled as she breached his personal headspace, attacking his thought process. As he did so, she ripped his wrist piece off and dangled it in her hand. A strange sensation came over her and she saw a golden glow subvert from her hand into the contraption. Jasper smirked at her and, feeling weak, she realised what must be happening. Hating his cocky nature, she took the wrist piece and dropped it to the ground, stamping her heel into it and shattering the main watch piece. 

“NO!” he screamed out 

She drove her heel into it more, feeling weak but still using her magic to hold him down as he writhed in a golden glow. As Clint was pulling Nat to her feet, the other’s burst in through different doors. The only group missing was Hope’s who Alina could only assume was still guarding the scientists.

Stark was at the forefront. 

“Stay out of my head” he hissed at Jasper as he landed in front of him, just a little bit behind Alina. She glanced over her shoulder at him as she held Jasper down, her hands and eyes glowing. Jasper squirmed uncomfortably. 

“What do we do?” Steve asked, also approaching. 

“He’s too dangerous to be kept in SHIELD holding clearly” Thor answered 

“You think anyone else has better holding cells?” Stark asked 

Thor shrugged. He would still be a danger even on Asgard - if not more so if he managed to get his hands on the technology there. 

“Can we kill him” Clint hissed 

“We’re not murderers” Steve shook his head 

“He tried to kill my family” Clint growled 

Steve looked sad. 

“And Alina” Banner added 

“You heard me” Clint answered 

“We can’t destroy the quantum generator just yet - we haven’t neutralised the threat. But if we can’t destroy it… We can’t keep him alive” Alina said 

“And he can get out of holding - clearly” Nat responded

Jasper laughed, reading their thoughts. 

“None of you will do it” he smirked confidently 

The team glanced around. 

“Have you met Nat? Bucky?” Stark grinned 

Jasper laughed through the uncomfortable feeling of being held down by Alina’s magic. 

“James Barnes… oh dear it is not in his nature to kill despite what you might think” 

“Still got Nat” Clint smirked 

“Not even Black Widow wants to kill me. No more red on her ledger” he replied, winking at Nat who’s eyes widened. 

“Fine. I’ll do it” Banner said confidently 

Jasper laughed louder. 

“Cmon man don’t embarrass me” Stark said 

“And what? Mr Strange? He took an oath to do no harm” Jasper continued 

“Well I surpassed that a year or 3 back” Strange answered 

“You still wouldn’t do it” he smiled assuredly 

Alina watched this back and forth between Jasper and who ever piped up to offer to get rid of him. She knew none of them would. Not even Loki, for fear of the backlash of the other Avengers and losing his place on Earth. Being connected to Jasper via the mind stone was a strange feeling. She could connect remotely to the other’s thoughts through him, as well as feel his abilities at work. She was, after all, currently preventing him from manipulating any of them - placing a block on his powers. Safe from his ability to read her mind, a thought fell into place. 

She reached out and place her hands on either side of his head. 

“Alina no” Steve said

The team tensed, waiting for her to break his neck. She shook her head at Steve ever so slightly as the panic rose in Jasper’s eyes. 

“Alina you wouldn’t surely you wouldn’t” he said, somewhat desperately

He cried out as she pushed into his skull, exploring his abilities and using the mind stone to slowly, but surely, shut them down. Stark put a hand on Peter’s chest as he moved forward to intervene. Shaking his head, it was only a few moments before Alina stepped back and Jasper fell to the floor. She unfroze his feet and released him from her magic, crossing her arms. He crawled to his feet and swung a punch which she immediately blocked, twisting his arm and throwing him to the ground. 

“What… what have you done to me!” he screamed out, his dirty blonde hair falling desperately over his face as he looked around wildly; locking eyes with each of the Avengers as he frantically attempted to gain some sort of control over them or at least read their thoughts. He got nothing. 

“Uhhh what did you do?” Sam asked as Jasper screamed and writhed 

“Took away his mutant powers” 

“You can do that?” Thor asked 

“I dont know - Apparently so. I took a shot in the dark” 

“So cool” Bucky smiled 

“You take far too much happiness from this” Alina replied as she nudged Jasper with her foot 

“What do we do with him now?” Scott asked, flicking his mask up 

“Lock him up” Steve replied 

“He’s not a threat anymore after all” Alina shrugged 

Sam pulled Jasper to his feet from behind as he swung wildly, attempting to hit him. He electrocuted him with one of his remote tasers. 

“Yeah buddy you ain’t going anywhere” he smirked 

“What have you done!?! Change me back this instant!” Jasper spat at Alina

“Sorry Jasp” she shrugged 

“Please change me back please, my powers are all I have” 

“You know, if your powers are all you have then you shouldn’t have them” Peter quipped 

He earned a sly smile from Tony who knew exactly what he was referring to and rolled his eyes at the kid. Fully armoured SHIELD agents entered, relieving Sam of his holding duties and dragging a kicking and screaming Jasper out of the warehouse. 

Clint quickly exited, returning with Laura and his kids. 

“Thank you, Ali” Laura said with a smile 

“My pleasure - you won’t be at further risk. The only way Jasper would’ve known about you would’ve been through mind reading. No one else should know” 

“Wow way to blame it on me” Clint smirked, kissing his daughter’s head   
“He didn’t even catch us at home - so, the house is still safe” Laura smiled gently 

“Glad to hear - I love that place” Alina replied, a warm smile on her face. It reminded her of Lori’s house in Hudson. Over the past 6 months, she had visited Clint’s farm and his family a fair bit with Nat. Sometimes just to relax and catch up, other times they would take a few days off and help Clint tear parts of the house up and refurbish them. Laura was a gentle soul, something Alina and Nat appreciated a lot in their hardness. 

Clint put his arm around his wife and smiled. 

“So what do we do now the day is saved once more?” Scott teased 

“Uhhh I think you know the answer to that” Tony smirked 

“Tony I swear to god…” Nat replied 

“What!? It’s time we go home - plus, a welcome home needs a welcome home party” 

“We’ve been gone for 2 weeks” Steve smiled 

“Still welcome home” 

“Two weeks Stark” Strange inputted 

Stark smirked at him. 

“Don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy my parties” 

“Let’s just get the hell out of here” Clint replied 

“What about the Quantum Tunnel?” Scott asked 

“I’ll have it disassembled and brought to the Tower, see if Pym and Selvig can do anything for it. We can sort out from there what the deal is with how we progress” Stark replied rubbing his hands together 

“Ya know, I feel like scotch - anyone else feel lke scotch” he continued as he walked out of the room. 

Strange rolled his eyes as Peter swung after him. 

“Not you kid” 

“Why not?! A growing boy needs nutrients and strength!” Thor rumbled 

 

“Thor said I could!” 

“NO!” Steve yelled out as Tony paused 

Alina laughed and shook her head, walking alongside Nat. 

“That was a sweet move you did with your high kick earlier” Alina pointed out

“Learned it the other day” Nat replied 

“Wanna teach me?”

“God I thought you’d never ask”


	27. The Party

The tower felt good to be home too. HQ was great, but it didn’t have the familiarity and homeliness of Avenger’s tower. Stark, as Stark is, had organised a party and a guest list quite literally on the flight home. Nobody was surprised by this but every one was ready for a nap and by unanimous vote, they forced him to push his party back to the next evening. This however, meant that he was even more excited the next day. 

Nat, Hope and Alina were getting ready together. Jane had opted to spend extra time with Thor and so, was helping himself and Loki get ready. Clint and Laura were sending the kids off with their aunt and Pepper was busy attending to PR issues Tony had somehow managed to cause in the day long period of which he had been organising his party. Nat was adding a curl into Alina’s hair as they sat on the bed whilst Hope put on her dress. 

“You got me?” Hope asked, stretching to do the zip up

Alina reached forward and finished her zip on the dress. It was jet black and figure fitting, going down to her knee and sporting a tight but covered chest. 

“Do you ever dress like you’re not working?” Nat asked 

“I have to look out for Scott. I’m always working” Hope smirked 

“Touché” 

Natasha finished with her hair and quickly slipped into a strappy leopard print dress with a tight waist and fitted bodice. Straightening her hair and adding a flick to it, she glanced at Alina, flat iron in hand. 

“Get dressed” she tilted her head to the wardrobe door   
Alina pulled the red dress Nat had picked for her off of the hanger and walked into the bathroom. While she was waiting for the other two to finish bickering over Nat’s leopard print, she had done her makeup so all she needed to do were a few touch ups to her smokey eye and dark red lips before she slipped on the dress. The dress was a silk like red, a few shades lighter than her lipstick and clung to her body; crossing over her chest into spaghetti straps. 

“An amazing choice by me, once again” Nat smirked 

“I should just hire you to dress me” she replied 

“Yeah if only we didn’t wear black 98% of the time” Nat replied, her mouth open as she put on her own lipstick. In the mirror, she glanced back at Alina. 

“You’re wearing your engagement ring, right?” She asked 

Alina raised an eyebrow, and with a wave of magic, the ring appeared on her hand. She often didn’t wear the ring openly, due to missions and her work and forgot to replace it on the odd occasions she did not have these things interfering. Deciding to go check she hadn’t left anything in her room, she slipped out the door. 

Nat poked her head out after her as Strange and Bucky rounded the corner. 

“Pick your jaws up off the floor!” she yelled at them before putting her head back in the room and shutting the door. 

“You two look nice” she smiled 

This wasn’t a lie. Strange was looking dapper in a black suit, with the jacket undone and Bucky too was dressed similarly, although slightly less formal than the Doctor with formal pants and a buttoned shirt and vest. 

“You look nicer doll” Bucky blurted out 

Strange rolled his eyes. 

“You look gorgeous” he said, formalizing Bucky’s blunder

“Care to escort a lady?” She laughed, gesturing ahead of them 

They nodded and made their way up to the party which was spread out on the largest floor in the tower complete with a bar, couches and various benches and stools with a balcony overlooking the main floor. Alina was surprised to see Nat and Hope had beat her up there - obviously sneaking out of the room as she spoke to the boys. She smiled at Loki across the room who was dressed in black pants, belt and a stiff green petticoat with a white button up underneath it.  
He bit his lip almost instinctively as he allowed his eyes to rake over her figure in that dress. She did not often wear red but good god did she look good in it. He watched as she walked towards the bar to speak to Romanoff and his eyes followed her figure, the dress perfectly hugging her. 

Over Alina’s shoulder, Nat winked at Loki. She knew exactly what she had done tonight and why. Not that Alina knew yet. 

From behind, Jane hugged Alina and she turned around to return the gesture. 

“How’s it going!?” Jane asked over the music, Thor smiling on her shoulder 

“Oh you know same old same old” 

“Erik told me you nearly died again” she chided 

“Like I said… I mean, are you surprised?” Alina laughed 

“No one is” Nat said, making herself a drink as the party flowed around them 

It was at this moment that Tony levied himself onto the bar, Microphone in hand. Nat smirked up from her cocktail she was sipping. 

“Oh for god sake” Alina said, moving to get him down 

Thor put a hand out to stop her as Loki joined them.

“Ladies and Gentleman and gods and wizards and stuff” Stark began 

“Good god” Alina whispered, he was clearly a little drunk 

“Welcome to the Welcome Home party! Except it’s more than that isn’t it, because what is a welcome home party - when it’s not actually a surprise engagement party” 

Alina’s head snapped up in shock to Tony who was grinning down at her, glass of Scotch in hand. Loki wrapped an arm around her waist as he raised an eyebrow at Stark. 

“Because that’s exactly what this is! You may know that like… 9 months ago Reindeer Games here, god of being annoying or something, proposed to master of the wizards, Alina, who I might say is way out of his league but somehow, she said yes. And somehow she’s the only one who can handle him. Now what you may not know is that SOMEBODY - I am looking at you here Loki - asked a literal 17 year old kid to be a groomsman before he asked me DESPITE throwing me from a window. So, to prove my point and position of official officiant and celebrant of their future wedding, I am throwing an extravagant party that I know they’ll both pretend to hate but secretly love!”

“Tony you really didn’t -” Alina began 

“Oh contraire but I did Miss Everton because not only did you two ask Peter, my quite literal intern, to be your groomsmen first, but you have failed in the entire 9 months of being engaged to throw a party. Also, Alina I know it’s your birthday today nice try trying to hide that darl. That’s payback for the groomsman thing. Now everybody drink up, party up, and make sure to annoy not just the birthday girl but 1 ½ of the engaged couple!” Tony smirked, clambering down from the bar to a round of applause. 

“You are a menace, Stark” Alina smirked as he kissed her on the cheek 

“I got you a present” he smirked back 

“How did you even find OUT about my birthday?” she muttered. She kept it quiet since she didn’t celebrate it after her parents had died and didn't like the fuss. Not even Loki knew her birthday - well, he did now. 

“Romanoff did some work for me” he replied, handing her a little envelope 

Alina took the envelope and flapped in gently. As Nat smiled across the bar she was leaning on. 

“A gift. From Stark and King T’Challa” she gestured 

“Ya know what Romanoff” she smirked as she pried open the letter 

A single piece of paper came out which she caught. It was a cheque. A cheque for 6 billion dollars. Alina stared at it. Then at Stark. The back at it. She flipped it over to see a note written on it. 

\- ‘From Tony and T’Challa’  
-’Mostly T’challa though’   
-’Mostly Tony thank you it’s my checkbook’ 

Alina laughed a little. Tony had not gotten over how rich T’challa really was yet and no doubt was unhappy about being outstripped as playboy billionaire by a playboy trillionaire. 

“Tony this is 6 billion dollars! I can’t take this!” she replied 

“It’s for the wedding!” he defended 

“Who spends 6 billion on a wedding!” she responded 

“Me. But, think of it as all the birthday gifts you’ve missed out on growing up” he said softly 

Her exasperated look faded and she smiled a little at him. 

“I think in monetary value, this supersedes that” she smiled 

Peter snuck up behind Tony, appearing on his right shoulder and making him jump.

“Mr. Stark I hope you’re not still mad about the groom thing” he said sheepishly

“Kid, if I had known telling you about her birthday was going to mean you’d get her a cooler present and get initiated into the bridal party first I wouldn’t have done it” he replied 

“Wait, Tony, you told Peter!? That’s why he…Arghh” she replied 

“Yeah I kinda told…. Everyone” Tony smirked 

“Happy Birthday Ali!” Peter grinned 

“Uh, thanks Pete” she smiled 

“By the way… we all, kinda got you presents” Jane said 

Alina stared at her. 

“Can’t hide your birthday forever” Nat smirked, tipping her drink as she made Jane and Thor one each. 

“After all! Your birth is such a wondrous occasion it should be celebrated!” Thor rumbled 

“Happy Birthday Darling” Loki murmured in her ear

“Unbelievable” she laughed 

“If it is any comfort, I did not know of the engagement party side of this” he smiled, twirling her 

“Oh how unfortunate for you!” she teased 

Through the crowd, Laura and Clint approached, hand in hand. 

“How’s the birthday girl?” Clint grinned 

“Try me, Barton” she replied 

“Hey! Don’t shoot the messenger” he winked 

“Happy Birthday” Laura said 

“Thanks Laura” 

“You know, we actually had an engagement/birthday present for you but it’s not exactly something we can give to you” Clint smiled 

“What is it?” Alina asked curiously 

“Well.. Clint told me how you hadn’t decided where to have the wedding and I had been thinking, you and Nat visit so often and you love the farm so much, well I thought you could use our forest by our farm if you’d like” she smiled 

Alina looked at her for a long moment, a smile spreading across her face. 

“Laura that is perfect” she said, hugging her 

She then turned and hugged Clint who tightly wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“If he hurts you though I’ll still kill him” he muttered 

She pulled back and smiled at him fondly. 

“I’ll keep that in mind, Dad” she teased 

“I like the idea of a forest” Loki pitched 

“It’s where I’ll bury your body if you hurt her” Clint repeated, smiling tightly 

“Well you’ve played your cards there” Nat grinned from across the bar

“Im sure I’d have your full support” Clint smiled 

Nat tipped her drink in agreement. 

“Happy Birthday doll” Steve said from behind, she turned and faced him. 

“You knew too, Rogers?” 

“Begrudgingly at Tony’s expense” 

“God get a room you two” she smirked and Steve rolled his eyes, shifting his shoulders in his light blue dress shirt.

The part diverged, with the groups splitting off to do their socialising. It was a pleasant vibe to the night with members of Tony’s business partners, SHIELD and others in attendance. Bar his business partners, it seemed Tony had invited a great deal of them to the wedding. 

Everett Ross was even in attendance - something rare for him. Alina and himself had often butted heads in the past over project funding and time allocation but he was a good man and he made sure to stop and give her his well wishes. 

“Well, darling, it seems Stark truly has put some effort in” Loki said in her ear as he twirled her 

“What are you saying?” she murmured, aware he was taking an angle here

He smiled and she rolled her eyes in good humour. After all, it was an odd move from him. It’s not that Loki hated the team - far from it. But he was still well removed from them, despite his integration over the past year and a half.   
The party died down until it was just the drunken mess of the Avengers left, lounging on couches and attacking the bar still. Laura and Jane had gone to bed, not use to the stamina that the avengers had and Pepper had left to escort some benefactors to a nearby party. 

“Make sparkles another drink” Tony said to Banner behind a bar

“Tony-” 

“Nope it’s your engagement birthday you will have another drink” he said 

She laughed and shook her head as Banner handed it to her, Loki’s arm around her with Strange and Bucky on the other side. 

“So, you set a date yet?” Bucky smirked, well aware of how long they had put this off for. 

“I was thinking next month actually - early autumn” she smiled, thinking back to last autumn when she had unceremoniously met Strange. 

“Next.. Next month!? You gonna stress Pepper out like that?” Tony asked 

“Okay 3 years from now in september then” Alina sassed back 

Tony rolled his eyes. 

“So middle of next month, my place?” Clint asked 

“You know it Katniss” she smiled 

“I believe mother will want some input” Thor grinned 

“I imagine so” Loki said dryly; there hadn’t been a royal wedding in thousands of years 

“And… While we’re at it, Tony?” Alina said 

“Yes sugar” 

“Loki and I were thinking… you’ve gone to so much effort and I mean, you are technically qualified… Did you really want to marry us?” Alina asked, making dead straight eye contact 

Tony went quiet. Immediately losing his bravado. 

“Really?” he said, slightly choked 

“Yeah I mean, well… you are qualified and I was thinking Pepper would be a bridesmaid anyway so it would suit” she smiled 

“Yes!” Tony grinned, punching the air 

“What about the rest of the bridal party?” Banner asked 

“Well, Nat’s the maid of honour obviously” Alina smirked 

“Wait, seriously?” Nat replied 

“Yeah I mean, you’re my best female friend realistically” Alina continued to smirk 

“No way! You do realise that means I will be styling you for your wedding” 

“Couldn’t think of anyone better” 

“Dream come true” Nat practically sang 

“And I mean, Hope… not to make a pun but I was hoping you’d be in the bridal party too? Alongside Pepper, Jane and Darcy” 

“Uh yes! I’d be offended if you didn’t ask” 

The conversation began to flow in different direction from decorations to clint’s farm to the Asgardians and Wakandans who would no doubt expect to be invited. As it diversified, Alina stood and made her way to the bar, setting down the glasses she had picked up absently on the way. Clint appeared beside her, catching one as it fell. She smiled at him. 

“Let me guess, you never miss?” she laughed 

“You know it” he smiled, placing the glass back down. 

As they set things apart quietly, the hum of conversation in the background, Alina finally picked up the nerve to speak. 

“Hey Clint, I have a question - well a few actually” she began

“What’s up twinkle toes?” 

“Well, I was actually wondering if Lila wanted to be the flower girl?” she smiled, thinking of Barton’s daughter

Clint glanced at her as he continued cleaning up the mess beside her, a smile on his face. 

“She would absolutely adore that” he smiled, continuing about his work. 

“And… well you know, I don’t have any parents. It’s a big ask but… I kinda thought maybe… Well, Clint would you like to walk me down the aisle?” she asked

He stopped what he was doing and stood up straight

“It’s okay if it’s too much to ask. Im a grown woman but it’s just if anyone here is my defacto dad it’s you and I thought-” 

He cut her off by pulling her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him in return. Pulling back, she saw tears in his eyes. 

“It would be my absolute pleasure” he smiled 

“Thanks Clint” 

“Dad” 

“Huh?”

“You have to call me dad now. This makes me your dad welcome to the family” he smirked 

She laughed, her own eyes slightly glazed with tears. 

“Okay dad” she continued to laugh 

“Hey guys! Alina is part of the Barton family now!” Clint yelled at the group 

Loki raised his eyebrows. 

“Unlucky for her” Stark grinned 

“Loki’s marrying into the Barton’s!” Nat laughed 

“Does this mean I’m now part of the Asgardian family?” Clint smirked 

“Well, technically yes.. If you were to take position of Alina’s father that would indeed give you a place on the Asgardian tree if Loki and Alina are to marry” Thor replied jovially 

“Suck it guys im Asgardian now!” Clint jumped, his arm around Alina’s shoulders as she laughed at the group in front of her. Loki wore a pleasantly amused look on his face as he watched Clint jump up and down. 

“That means you have to meet the inlaws” Steve smirked as they all thought of Odin and Frigga, who were at times, very intimidating. 

“My daughter’s a Celestial they can suck it” Clint grinned back 

“What of the groomsmen?” Thor grinned 

Loki rolled his eyes. He had been waiting for Thor to inevitably bring this up - aware of his expectations. 

“Thor, you are obviously the best man” he replied

“Excellent! Just as I thought” 

“Sergeant Barnes, Spiderkid, Captain Rogers and Strange will make up the rest” 

Strange raised his eyes in surprise whilst Bucky and Steve smirked at one another. They had, slightly expected it, but not with such haste. 

“A pleasant surprise” Strange said 

“You annoy me sorcerer - but you protected Alina so you stay” he replied

“You know as her guardian, by extension, you’re marrying me” Stephen smirked 

Loki stared at him. There was silence before everyone burst out laughing. 

“Fantasy threesome?” Alina smirked as she sat down beside Loki, ducking under his arm as he raised his eyebrows once again. 

“Aw cmon there’s a kid here!” Steve said 

“Im actually 17” 

“Still a kid, kid” Bucky smiled 

“I know what a threesome is!” he replied a little too hastily 

“Noooo! PEter!” everyone groaned into laughter

The atmosphere was warm and pleasant and Loki was at peace. He finally had a date and time. After 9 months of trouble and waiting, he was finally getting to marry his fiance.


	28. Nat and Alina

“So you can’t phase anymore?” Scott asked as Alina sat on the table whilst Pym ran an energy reader over her

“It appears whatever device Jasper was using literaly sucked the Quantum Energy from her body - most of it anyway” Pym answered 

“Aw damn” Scott continued

Alina raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t particularly a bad thing. She didn’t need to start randomly phasing a month out from her wedding.

“Okay we get it, she’s slightly more normal again. Fellas are we done here?” Nat asked, gesturing to Stark, Banner, Selvig, Scott and Pym

“With her, yes” Selvig replied from under a bench 

Nat looked down at him before looking back up at Alina. 

“Right, well c’mon” Nat gestured to Alina who responded with a quizzical look. 

“We’re going shopping - can you change into something more normal?” Nat continued, looking slightly exasperated over Alina’s combat pants and shirt. Alina rolled her eyes and waved a hand; morphing into black jeans, charcoal riding boots and a loose white shirt with long sleeves that sat rolled up the forearm.

“Better?” 

“We’re taking a car” Nat nodded, directing her statement at Tony 

“Take my credit card too” he said back, distracted as he sawed into a piece of metal. 

“I’ve already got it” she smirked as they exited the room 

“Typical” Tony muttered 

// 

“What about these?” Nat asked, pulling a long emerald green dress off a hanger and dangling it in one hand whilst a sequined gold dress hung in the other. Alina perked her head up. It was a striking colour combination

“I like that” she said appreciatively 

“I was thinking we could do a staggering of colours - mostly green and gold. Slightly different styles too. Like this one is sort of grecian” Nat said, dangling the emerald green one up slightly higher 

“And this one is a slightly different green” Alina replied, pulling another off of the hanger. 

“We are way too good at this. Maybe when we retire we could start a wedding planning business” Nat smirked 

“When we retire” Alina laughed 

“Right so, the green pays homage to Loki’s ridiculous armour - he better not be wearing that at the wedding i swear to god I’m going to get Tony onto that ASAP - anyway yeah green and gold for loki’s armour but also for your eyes, the necklace Peter gave you, and the infinity stones” 

“You ladies alright here?” A bright sales assistant chirped 

“We know more than you” Nat said, shooing her away 

“You’ll be wearing a green I imagine?” Alina asked 

“The more olivey one. I was thinking we put Jane in the gold with the shoulders, Hope in the emerald grecian one, Pepper in the thick strapped gold dress with the crossbody back and Darcy in the forest green” 

“Well that was easy” Alina smiled as they piled the dresses onto one another, preparing to swipe Tony’s credit card

“That’s the easy part. We’ve still got flowers, buttonholes, jewelry, shoes and lord forgive your dress - but we’ll save that until Jane, Darcy, Hope and Pepper can all make it because it’s not a dress fitting if we aren’t all there” 

“You watch too much of Say yes to the Dress Nat” 

“It’s Clint’s favourite show” she winked 

One of Tony’s many chauffeurs took the dresses, in there dress bags, and laid them delicately in the car as Alina and Nat hopped in the back. 

“So we’ve only got 4.5 weeks until the wedding so I am thinking dress fitting this weekend? I’ve already cleared Pepper’s schedule and booked out Kleinfeld Bridal” she smiled, pleased with her handy work 

“The whole thing?!” Alina asked 

“Tony’s name - and bank account - reach far and wide” Nat smirked 

“Right” 

“And I have ordered about 15 bridal magazines that are solely dedicated to flowers so guess what we’re doing tonight!” 

“Matching flowers to the dress combinations?” Alina laughed 

“I was thinking deep plum reds and burgundys and lots of leafy greens and dangling whites to match the gold and green” Nat mused 

“What, you haven’t already chosen the exact make and model of the shoes yet?!” Alina exclaimed sarcastically 

“I have a few in mind - but I need to see what dress you choose first” Nat winked as they pulled back into the tower and she directed the chauffeur to take the dresses to the bridal room. Alina caught this. 

“Excuse me, the what?” Alina asked 

“Oh I had Tony clear a room so I can put all the bridal stuff in there. It’s decked out, we can have a night just locked in there picking flowers and getting smashed” Nat grinned 

“Good god if that’s just for choosing the flowers I don’t even want to know what the hens party would be like” 

“Just you wait” Nat winked 

// 

That night they did indeed choose the flowers. Relatively quickly, since they all agreed Nat’s original idea of burgundy and plum with lots of green and some dangling white was the winner. This meant the night digressed into drinking relatively quickly and rewarded them in a hangover the next morning. 

“Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” Fury nodded as he stood in the kitchen 

“Shut up she’s getting married” Nat grumped 

“Well you’ll be pleased to know I have a mission for the two of you” 

“Just the two of us?” Alina asked

Nick nodded. 

“Seriously, out of all of us?” Nat snipped 

“It requires your expertise and lack of arguing” Fury replied 

“I’m frankly offended you think the rest of us argue” Stark said as he made a coffee

Fury simply stared at him. He did not need to elaborate further than his pointed look, well aware that the team often bickered over small things. 

“Suit up - you leave in an hour” he nodded to Natasha and Alina who waved him away in response 

“I’m still having breakfast though” Nat yelled after him as he left the room.

// 

“Wait this isn’t going to take days is it? I booked out Kleinfield for Saturday and it’s Wednesday today” Nat asked Fury as they sat in the Quinjet and he sorted through files to show them. 

“You’ll be back by Friday” Hill said from the pilots seat 

“Hydra?” Alina said, waving the folder she was holding 

“It seems that there has been a small group which has reconveined in Argentina. Your task is to get in and take down their base. We can’t afford to have them building up anymore research” 

“Hah, kind of like the hitler conspiracy” Alina smirked 

“Conspiracy?” Nick grimaced 

“Oh you’re joking” Nat replied 

“For the love of god and everything else do not tell Captain Rogers” Fury answered as he flicked through another folder and tossed it to Nat. She wore a smirk which spread across her face, her lips pursed together. 

The jet began to slow down as Agent Hill brought it down. It was late afternoon in Buenos Aires as the Quinjet took back off, leaving Alina and Nat to their hotel room. They had been given their target. A warehouse on the opposite side of the tracks from Recoleta, a neighbourhood pushing the edge of the city. They were using the tracks as well as the old shipyard in La Boca to bring in weapons, tech and other things discreetly. Nat pulled her guns out of the duffel bag and checked them over, loading each of them with her usual confidence among firearms. She tossed one to Alina who sighed as she caught it and strapped it to her waist. 

“Having magic powers doesn’t mean a gun isn’t useful” Nat replied as she continued to rifle through the bag. 

“Sorry Mom” Alina smiled as she conjured Loki’s knives and strapped one to either thigh and Dragonfang over her back 

“Laura is your Mom - by all technicalities I’m your Aunt” 

“Wow can’t believe I’ve got a hot aunt” Alina smiled 

“Believe me, with Tony around that’s not what you want at all” 

“Good god…” 

“Eh, he’s alright” 

Alina looked up at her and shook her head. 

“Ready to go?” 

“As ready as I’ll ever be” 

Nat drove as Alina sat in the passenger seat. She appeared to know Buenos Aires very well and Alina could think of 100 reasons why that may be. One perk of being an international spy was the travel benefits. 

“Just so we’re clear, no getting captured or killed. It’s really difficult to clear Pepper’s schedule” 

“Oh cmon” 

“Alina you have literally died before don’t give me that” 

“What and you haven’t? Amateur...” She smirked as she stared out the window. She probably should’ve mentioned to Loki she was going on a mission but in the hour they were given to prepare, she couldn’t find him anywhere. Tony had said something about himself and Thor going up to Asgard to announce the wedding date officially to Odin and Frigga, something Alina was glad to miss entirely. 

“Almost here” Nat muttered as they began to drive parallel to a set of train tracks. 

“Good let’s just get this done” 

“You remember who we’re posing as?” Nat asked, the long blonde wig she had donned bouncing on her shoulders. Her red hair often matched her reputation and was far too recognisable. 

Alina nodded. 

“You are Anastasia Ivanov; An ex neuroscientist turned weapons manufacturer on the run from SHIELD and other international organisations for your part in the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction” 

“And you are?” 

“Lucija Cosiç. A Croatian nationalist and scientist. Extradited from Croatia to serve an international prison sentence for human testing and weapon development. I escaped but am now also on the run. We linked up in Ukraine in order to continue our work together and are here in Buenos Aires to view HYDRA linked technology and offer our services” 

“Good” Nat nodded as they pulled up to a train station which looked all but abandoned. 

Parking the car behind one side of the building they hopped out, surveying their surroundings. In the distance, a train could be heard making it’s way along but it was still out of sight of them. Nat stood on the platform alongside Alina as they waited. It was almost comical. The old concrete platform and it’s wooden building was all but abandoned so to see two well dressed woman simply standing there was strange. Not that there was anyone around to see them to begin with. As the train began to approach in the distance, Alina and Natasha drew themselves behind two concrete poles that ran adjacent to one another. The train began to pass and as it did so, Nat nodded to Alina. 

On queue, they both darted out from behind the poles and made a leap at the moving train, rolling onto it on impact as they landed in the cabin between two shipping containers. Nat flicked her hair out of her face as she sat down, leaning against the container and pulling a tracking device out of her pocket. 

“Should be about a half hour” she nodded before tossing the tracking device out of the space to one side of them. 

They sat mostly in silence side by side as they watched the Argentinian countryside pass in the late afternoon light. In their own heads, they were each prepping there characters to approach this Hydra facility. They had no idea how sophisticated it may be and their plan was rather nuanced. 

Nat perked her head up and nudged Alina as they began to come through a Barrio. 

“Our stop” she said as she stood and squared herself to jump off the moving train

Alina followed her. They landed in the dust beside the tracks and Alina had to remind herself not to use her magic in case they were being watched. This meant for a harsher landing unfortunately and they rolled before standing and dusting themselves off. The neighbourhood was an old shipping yard and clearly abandoned for the most part. 

“So glad you could make it” A male voice stepped out from behind a run down building 

“You are a difficult man to find” Nat said in a thick Russian accent

“An interesting mode of travel too” the man nodded to the train which was chugging off into the distant sunset. 

“We are wanted woman, Mr Daniels. I would prefer not to be followed” Nat replied 

“And we would prefer not to be found so thank you” he said, gesturing for them to follow him. 

As her turned his back Nat glanced to Alina. This was the man heading the operation; James Daniels. He had been a wanted man for 5 years now but SHIELD was yet to put a pin on him - which was strange because he seemed to be everywhere. Alina glanced around and noted a number of snipers hidden in various building vantage points. 

“And this must be Miss Lucija Cosiç” Daniels smiled over his shoulder at Alina who nodded 

“A pleasure” she responded rather coyly in Croatian accent, attempting to combine it with a tinge of Serbian. 

As they walked down a gravel and dirt road they approached a warehouse which looked rundown and from the outside, as if no one had been near it in years and years. The whole neighbourhood looked like it had simply been left. There was no noise coming from any of the buildings and the only sound remained their footsteps in the dust and the crunch of the gravel which rolled under their feet. The main doors to the warehouse were barred over and were all but impenetrable but they did not enter through these. Instead, they followed Daniels around the side of the building. He stood, in front of the vast wall and Nat and Alina stared at him. Suddenly, a door jutted out of nowhere and he gestured for them to take the lead. They did, as he followed up the rear, closing the door with a snap behind them as it disappeared again. 

They were shocked at what they found inside. It was a fully function HYDRA base. They stood in the centre within which they were able to see the building went up several floors which were all positioned around the central square of which they were standing in. They looked up and around. 

“The government here is too poor to revitalise these areas so they are left to ruins. Helpful, for us at least” Daniels said, his hands in pockets 

“Your facilities are very advanced Mr. Daniels” Natasha replied in her accent 

“Allow me to give you a tour. I believe you yourselves have some valuable information of sources for us” 

“Yes, we have located some rather rare resources” Alina answered as Daniels began to walk

“Myself and my partners are VERY interested. Unfortunately we do not have human testing facilities here which is a shame Miss Cosiç as I would love to see your work” he smiled, leading them up a floor and into some labs. 

“Unfortunate indeed. Perhaps I will make an excellent future asset” she smiled

“It appears we should have reached out sooner” Nat said

“And why did you not?” Daniels asked

“What with SHIELD on our tails and the apparent fall of the great HYDRA regime - we did not want to lead our trouble to what was left of it” she said 

“A wise decision. But you are here now” 

Alina looked over an advanced phasing weapon. Touching it gently, she looked up at Daniels. 

“This is a molecular disruptor is it not?” She said, distracting Daniels as Nat carefully attached some of Stark’s nano bombs under desks and tables. 

“I am impressed - you know your tech” 

“I did some study on patients in Croatia with this sort of technology. It has the potential to completely reconfigure or destroy someone’s molecules if touched with this” Alina said, her accent thick and heavy 

As they continued to tour the building, Alina distracted Daniels whilst Nat would discreetly attach bombs anywhere that she could get them. This facility was far more advanced than they had previously anticipated and needed to be destroyed as soon as possible. Finally, they were back in their starting position at the bottom of the facility and Daniels looked upwards, admiring his warehouse. 

“Now, Ms Romanov do you want to tell me what you’re here for?” he said, turning to her 

Shit. They had been blown. 

“Excuse me?” She stalled, still keeping her thick accent 

“I do not know who your friend is my dear but I do know you are a spy. So what do you want?” he asked, raising a gun at Nat

Nat rolled her eyes. There was no saving this one. She gently pulled off her wig and shook out her red hair. 

“Sorry, did we rain on your parade?” she smiled 

“It can be quickly solved when I kill you and torture the information from your friend here. I did not realise SHIELD was taking on apprentice spies” he smiled 

This time it was Alina rolling her eyes. 

“So are you going to tell me what you want or am I going to kill you” he continued 

Nat smiled 

“Maybe we just wanted a tour of your facilities” she replied 

“Kill you it is then” he replied dryly, pulling the trigger 

Alina sighed. Their cover was well and truly blown this time. Activating her stones, she threw up a shield that stopped the bullet in it’s path. In a blink, she had it disappear again. Daniels checked his gun, confused before firing it again. And again. And again. Nat simply stood there with a smirk on her face until Daniels finally looked to the side, where Alina stood with golden eyes. The shooting had attracted the attention of HYDRA agents, all of who had their weapons drawn from various vantage points in the building. 

“If you don’t mind, we’ll be leaving now” Nat smiled 

They ran for the door as Alina protected them from the bullets. Reaching the door where the wall had been, they realised they had no idea how to make it reappear. 

“Uh… the big one?” Nat tried 

“Best shot we got” Alina shrugged as she glanced to the barred off door across the room. 

They began fighting their way through the crowd of HYDRA agents as they made their way across to the door. Nat had her guns in both hands, shooting them out of the way whilst Alina protected them with her shields, breaking it only to use her knives to cut down agents getting too close. Daniels was across the room, exiting out of the disappearing wall door with a few other agents. 

They reached the barricaded door and Nat kicked it to no avail. 

“Fuck” she said as it didn’t budge. 

“I’ve got this” Alina muttured 

Activating the power stone, she stretched her neck, still not used to the strength it gave her. She very rarely used it. In a single blast she blew out the doors. Nat glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and Alina shrugged. As they clambered over the wreckage, Nat attached a few more nano bombs to the frames. Nodding, they took off running towards the track as they heard a train approaching in the distance. Daniels was nowhere to be seen and they progressed through taking out snipers as they went, Alina protecting their flank. Nearing the train tracks, Alina nodded to Nat. 

“Let’s make a mess” 

Nat pushed a button on her wrist. There was a moment of eerie silence before a catastrophically loud explosion, the force of which nearly blew them off their feet. Several more went off as the bombs activated in succession. Climbing up the roof of a building, they tossed off a lone sniper who landed on the train tracks and was consequently splattered by the oncoming train. With a slight glance at one another, they lept off the building and landed on the roof of the train - Nat catching Alina as she very nearly rolled of it. 

“Thanks” she gasped

“Can’t have you dying before your wedding” she smirked 

The smirk was wiped off her face as a bullet grazed her shoulder. 

“Ah!” she hissed, grabbing her left shoulder as it began to ooze blood. Alina immediately raised a shield and looked around. They had gotten all the snipers - Where were bullets coming from? 

Her question was rapidly answered as a man sporting gear similar to WIlson's landed in front of them. Two others landed either side of him. Raising his mask revealed Daniels in the centre. 

“You broke my toys” he growled 

Nat held her shoulder as they stared at the three men. Where did they get this technology? All but Sam’s had been destroyed. And, it seemed theirs was far more advanced. Nat raised her gun in her right hand. 

“I wouldn’t do this” she warned 

“Do what, Miss Romanov? You are injured and out numbered. I would say give in, but we are going to kill you either way.” 

The man to his right took a shot and Alina only just had the foresight to block it.

“It seems SHIELD has new toys” he said, giving her a once over 

“This isn’t of SHIELDs doing” Alina replied tightly 

“I don’t care” 

A fight ensued. Nat’s shoulder was luckily only brushed by the bullet and so she was able to continue fighting but they were outnumbered and had arial attacks which was constantly catching them off guard. Even Alina could not shield them, keep her eyes on her surroundings and fight. As she blocked one from knocking Nat out with the back of his gun, she quickly reactivated the power stone and ripped one of the wings from his back before landing a powerful kick into his chest. He screamed as he went flying off the train, sucked backwards by the force. As she moved to engage with daniels, Nat managed to get the other spare wingman pinned to the roof of the train, his gun in hand and his head dangling off it as she repeatedly punched him. Her focus on causing some nasty internal bleeding, she did not notice his gun raised as he began to lose consciousness. In a final act of defiance, he took a wavy shot at Alina, who’s back was turned as she went hand to hand with Daniels. The bullet grazed her side and she cried out as she felt the icy pain turn to a burn. In her shock, she momentarily lost focus and Daniels took her by the neck, dangling her in the air. The suit attached to his arms and back seemed to give him some sort of superior strength and she gasped in shock. 

“I really did want to kill Miss Romanov first and have you as a pet, but I supposed if I have to, this will do” he yelled over the roar of the train.

“Well it looks like it might be the other way around” she choked out in his grasp

“Wha-”

There was a bang and blood splattered across Alina’s chest and lower face. Daniel’s let her go and promptly dropped to the ground. While he had been distracted with her, Alina had conjured a portal which Nat had stepped through, appearing behind the HYDRA agent and shooting him in the back of the head. 

“You good?” she asked as Alina filled her lungs with air and bent over, placing both hands on her knees. 

“Yeah, you?” 

“Yeah, got shot” 

“Same here” 

“How bad’s yours?” 

Alina looked down and pushed a hand against her wound. It wasn’t too deep as it had grazed her waist but she was bleeding quite a bit and it hurt like hell - giving her a faint feeling. 

“Uh moderate. Yours?” 

“Just a graze, hurts like hell though” 

Alina nodded as they sat down and leaned back on one another, panting. 

“Actually, it’s starting to make me feel a little faint” Nat muttered as blood dripped from her shoulder onto Alina 

“Yeah same here” 

They both laid down. 

“We need to get up” Nat murmured, aware of the consequences of shock. 

Despite this, they continued to lay down and as their bodies responded to the shock of being shot, she sent Fury a distress signal. Both of their visions began to go hazy. 

“Hey Nat?” Alina muttered 

“Mmmh” 

“I think there’s tranquilizer fluid coated on their bullets” 

“You know, I think there is” 

// 

They both woke up on the Quinjet, strapped to med tables with a drip in their arms and their respective bullet wounds wrapped up. 

 

Fury had found them about 10 minutes after they had lost consciousness, passed out on the roof of the train with blood all over them and a man in a strange suit’s body laid not far down from them. In the distance, he could see a building projecting smoke into the air and realised they had succeeded in their mission. 

“Uhhggg it’s been a while since I’ve had to do this” Nat groaned as she sat up slightly 

“It’s not often you get shot Romanov” Fury answered 

“They had the element of surprise” she muttered 

“Yes, I had Daniel’s body extracted too. That suit is eerily similar to Wilson’s” 

“A pain in the ass too” Alina inputted, she was still laid down as the wound in her side made it difficult to sit and fold without considerable pain. 

“Good to see you’re still alive” he said rather dryly 

Alina rolled her eyes.

“How ya feeling?” Nat grinned 

“Like I got shot. How long we been out for anyway?” 

“Bout 9 hours. Whatever you were shot with was coated with some heavy tranq. Handy actually since you needed stabilizing”

“Told ya” Alina winked to Nat

“We’re coming in hot to the tower now”

As they slowed for landing, Nat wrapped her good arm under Alina’s shoulder and pulled her up. 

“Ah” Alina grunted in pain, wrapping the arm that was not over Nat’s shoulder over her stomach.

As the Jet opened, they were greeted by the rest of the team who’s faces went from something akin to mischievous happiness to worry as they saw Nat supporting Alina, both of them strapped up and covered in blood. 

“Please for the absolute love of God do not tell me you guys almost died” Tony said 

“We almost died” Alina smirked, her face and chest still coated in Daniel’s blood which made it look far worse than it was. Loki immediately approached her and took over Nat’s position as Clint took on Nat.   
“To be fair, we were ambushed Stark” Nat replied 

“You’re a spy!” 

“Yeah and when I’m on a moving train and I have taken out my snipers, I don’t expect guys with wings to be dropping in on me trying to kill me for some stupid clandestine reason” 

“They knew we were coming” Alina added 

“Let’s just get you two to the medical station - you’re not dying but we should probably sufficiently check out those bullet grazes” Banner added 

“How did these bird men know of Widow’s and Ali’s arrival?” Thor asked 

“We can talk about this later” Steve said over his shoulder as he walked in behind Clint and Nat

“Must you always get yourself in such trouble” Loki murmured, a small smile on his face as he came to the realisation that she was largely unharmed 

“Promise this one wasn’t on me” she smiled back 

He rolled his eyes. 

“Sure thing Rogue” he teased


	29. The Dress

 

“Mother is very pleased about a date finally being picked” Loki said from in bed

 

Alina was getting dressed, ready to go to Kleinfeld with Nat, Pepper, Hope, Jane and Darcy. An experience that was sure to be interesting and take all day. 

 

“I hope it’s not too much trouble” she said as she pulled a shirt from her wardrobe and chucked it on. It was loose and white and wore long sleeves that were rolled up to the elbow. Pantsless, she jumped on the bed beside Loki. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her as she sat slightly on top of him. Her knees bent either side of his upper thighs as she placed one hand on his chest and the other running through his hair. 

 

“Not at all, although I do believe she wants some say on decorating this forest” he smiled up at her, a little mischievous glint in his eyes

 

“Let her go nuts” she laughed, looking down at Loki with bright eyes

 

“You may wish you hadn’t said that” he smiled back 

 

“Frigga has excellent taste”    
  
“Not, however, subtle” 

 

“Well, she’s got Nat, Pepper, Clint and Laura all to contend with so I am sure one of them will keep it in check”    
  
“Do you really think any of them are not as dramatic as the other?” he smirked 

 

She threw her head back laughing, her wavy hair pouring over her shoulders. 

 

“Perhaps I should be concerned then! But I have other things to worry about today” Alina grinned 

 

“Ah the dress”    
  
“Hey there’s no weird Asgardian custom to how I dress in a wedding is there?” She asked suddenly 

 

“No, not typically. In regards to the bride our traditions are very much the same as Midgardians. However, even if they were to be different it’s our wedding and neither of us by technicality are Asgardian”    
  
“Fair point” she replied as she jumped off of him 

 

He pulled her back down on the bed, one hand on the underside of her bare thigh and the other cupping her cheek as he leaned over her, kissing down her neck, collarbone and chest. She giggled loudly.    
  
“Loki!”    
  
“Don’t go yet” he murmured with a sly smile into her neck 

 

“I’m gonna be late” she laughed, planting a quick kiss on his lips before she jumped up and twirled out of his reach, snagging a pair of jeans off the bottom of the bed. 

 

He sighed and shook his head, his eyes lit up with humour.    
  
“Do not die” he said 

 

“I’m going wedding dress shopping” she laughed 

 

“With Romanov, Van Dyne, Ms Potts, Doctor Foster and …. Darcy… I have good intent to think you might die” he laughed 

 

“Touché, my prince” she curtsied dramatically as he watched her with an amused smirk 

 

“Go” he waved

 

She blew him a kiss and darted out of the door. 

 

// 

 

“Nat was the limo really necessary? Alina asked, somewhat exasperated with the choice. They could’ve just gone in 2 normal cars after all. 

  
“Uh yes, it is your wedding” Darcy said

 

“Not today”    
  
“Yeah but it’s arguably the most important day of the pre wedding organisation” Pepper added 

 

“Champagne?” Darcy grinned, opening Stark’s mini bar 

 

As they all drank from the flute glasses, the woman began theorizing.    
  
“Nothing puffy” Hope nodded 

  
“Too fairytale” Alina agreed 

 

“Can’t really see you in too much lace either” Jane tipped her glass 

 

“Hmm I think it depends on the style - not trashy lace though” Pepper agreed 

 

“Im sorry who out of us is getting married” Alina smirked 

 

“Please do not tell me your taste is worse than I ever thought” Nat stared 

 

“Well, if it comforts you I am not a massive lace fan, unless its subtle”    
  
“Thank god. I thought you were about to tell me you wanted a full lace back corset tie up puffy monstrosity” Nat moaned 

 

“I would not let you get married in that” Pepper replied 

 

“Ain’t nothing wrong with a bit of fluff ladies” Darcy winked 

 

Pulling up the Kleinfeld, they all hopped out - Darcy with far more enthusiasm than the others. There were a few stray journalists hanging about outside.    
  
“Ms Potts! Ms Potts! Is this shopping for an engagement to Mr Stark?!” One yelled 

 

“He absolutely wishes” she smiled tightly before they all ducked inside.    
  
The interior was as huge and as elegant inside as it appeared from the outside. The reception area which was pin cushioned with white tile floors gave way unto a wide open main room which had lush carpeted floors with fluffy rugs and dresses on display both in centrepieces and on the wall.

 

“Uh Wow” Jane said, voicing what they were all thinking 

  
Nat took a picture with her phone. They all glanced her way

 

“What!? I said I’d send Clint pics” she defended 

  
“Ladiiieeesss! Welcome to Kleinfelds Bridal! I’m Randy and me and the team will be helping one of you lucky ladies find a dream dress” he said as they were brought glasses of champagne and guided into the room to lavish couches which sat in front of a viewing area with a grand floor to ceiling mirror. 

 

Nat snapped another pic.    
  
“Ms. Potts! An absolute pleasure” Randy continued 

 

“Yes and you” she smiled 

 

“Right! Who’s our bride?!” he clasped his hands together expectantly 

 

Darcy leant back and pointed to Alina dramatically. Randy immediately took her hand.    
  
“Lovely to meet you. What’s your name and when’s the wedding?” he smiled 

  
“Alina and next month” she smiled in return   
  
“Oh wonderful! Absolutely gorgeous eyes you have there! Now, do you have any idea of what you like? You’ve obviously got a striking figure to you so it’s up to you whether or not you want to show that off or not”    
  


“Thanks and a little I guess, we know we don’t want big and puffy or super lacy but that’s about it”    
  
He nodded earnestly, taking in her every word.    
  
“Right! Well, what we are going to do today is run you through a few dresses of our consultants choices and let you, and the girls, take a look and throw some ideas around. That way as the day goes on we get a more refined knowledge of what you’re looking for” he smiled 

 

“Sounds good to me” she smiled 

  
“Now, do you have a price range?” he asked 

 

Alina opened her mouth to speak but Pepper cut her off.    
  
“No price range go crazy” 

 

“Pepper” Alina chided as Randy spoke to a female consultant to go search for some dresses.    
  
“You’re forgetting you’ve got 6 billion to blow” Hope smirked 

 

“Ridiculous” Alina shook her head.

 

//

 

15 minutes later she was in the fitting room with a consultant named Ally. They chatted a little about their similar names, the likes of her wedding and other benign topics. Alina found it hard to talk in detail when asked about her fiance since it was such a strange topic. She found a way however as she slipped into dress number one. 

 

It was stunning. A plunge neckline on the back and front which moved upwards into spaghetti straps. The skirt was layered tulle which cinched in at the waist without looking overly puffy.    
  
“Oh my gooooddddd so how does it feel?!” Ally asked 

 

Alina admired herself in the mirror a little. It was indeed gorgeous, but perhaps a little too showy for her. 

 

“It beautiful, but maybe a little too preppy, I feel like I belong at a ball” she laughed 

 

“Right, well let’s show you off”    
  


They walked down the short hallway to the main room and Alina felt a strange nervousness. She could only imagine how she was going to feel actually walking down the aisle. As she entered the room, the girls gasped.

 

“OH MY GOOD GOD!” Darcy yelled 

 

“Okay you rock that” Jane agreed 

  
“Puffy though” Nat mused as she twirled Alina around 

 

“I like it but I feel you could look nicer” Hope added 

 

“I think we all know Alina would look beautiful if we spray painted a trashbag white… But it’s a no from me. It’s not her, you know” Pepper pitched in, her arms crossed 

  
“Yeah I thought the same. Its beautiful but a little too preppy” Alina smiled 

 

“Option number 2!” They all yelled, clearly enthused with the free champagne and the runway show

 

Option Number Two was far more lowkey by comparison. It was a bright white A line style dress with ultra thin spaghetti straps and a rather subtle and classy lace design front. The skirt fell A line and was lightweight and breezy. The back was open and it gave a rather chilled out, boho vibe while still accentuating her figure. 

 

“This one is so different” Darcy said as she entered the room

 

“I like it. It’s simple, classy” Hope replied 

 

“She’s getting married in autumn though” Nat said 

  
“It does give off a beachy wedding vibe” Pepper mused 

 

“Could work for the forest though” Jane amended 

 

“Hmm I think it’s kind of something you could wear to a summer party you feel me?” Alina stated 

 

“I agree but we should keep it on the cards, it could work for a forest wedding” Pepper replied 

 

Option Three was a classy, delicate, off the shoulder dress which fitted in at the waist and plunged into a skirt which had an under skirt that fitted to her legs whilst the slightly see through outer skirt sat over top to give movement. 

 

“Okay I like this” Alina said appreciatively in the mirror, she looked like a fairy. 

 

She walked out again.    
  
“Oh wow” Nat said, teary eyed 

 

“That’s so gorgeous” Pepper agreed 

“A bit girly though” Hope mused 

 

“I like it. But I don’t love it you know? Like, its so gorgeous and dress up but would I get married in it?” Alina pitched 

 

“Okay but so far that’s option A!” Darcy said 

  
Alina nodded.    
  
Time for Option 4. 

 

Dress 4 was a no from the moment she put it on. It had a high neck that was all lace right to the waist and then a plunging A line skirt. She looked sophisticated as she pulled her hair back into a messy bun, but perhaps more than she wanted to. 

 

“Nope” Nat said as she walked in 

 

“I dont know, she does give me a royal wedding vibe. Like a Kate vibe” Jane inputted 

 

“I see that” Pepper mused 

  
“That lace looks cheap and trashy” Hope argued 

 

“It’s a no from me” Alina replied, pulling at the lace neck. 

 

“Well, ladies, we have a good idea of what the style is like. Now we open you to roam a bit, it’s only been a few hours so we encourage you to explore, look at dresses, visit the archives and so on” Randy said

 

They soon split off, adventuring like children through the rooms and rooms filled with designer wedding dresses. Nat went through and secretly snapped pics of everything she could find and sent them to Clint; including a selfie she took with Alina and Randy in the background. Alina had lost the others and was wandering through a room looking at wedding dresses when one caught her eye. It was hung on the rack squished among all others but the cape like quality which tumbled to the floor caught her attention. She pulled it off and immediately eyed it up. Curiosity had her wonder what it looked like on. 

Taking it through to the fitting room, she ran into Ally.    
  
“Wanting to try that one?” She smiled 

 

“Yeah it caught my eye” she replied 

 

“Right, I’ll get the ladies back into the main room whilst you start getting into it”    
  
  
  


Alina knew as soon as she put it on that this was the dress. She quite literally gasped out loud, turning at all angles as she looked at how it sat on her. It combined many of the elements of the other dresses without being mismatched or overstated. It was simple, A line and figure fitting which showed her slim figure and small waist off well. Over each shoulder hung a cape like feature however these only hung from the back of her shoulders and left an open back. 

  
  


 

 

“Oh wow look at you!” Ally said 

 

“I love this” Alina said happily 

 

“It’s a one of a kind Vania Romoff!”    
  


They walked down the hallway as she gave Alina a quick rundown of the dress. 

  
As soon as she walked out Nat practically fainted. Tears in her eyes she sprung to her feet. 

  
“Holy shit” she whispered 

 

“That is PERFECT!” Darcy squealed

 

“Alina… wow. Wow! You look beautiful. That is stunning” Pepper said, nearly in tears herself 

 

They all approached to take a closer look.    
  
“I LOVE the shoulder cloak look!” Nat admired 

 

“Perfect considering who she’s marrying” Jane agreed 

 

“And totally looks classy enough to be at an Asgardian wedding!” Darcy winked 

 

“Classy enough to be a fucking Queen. I am here for this dress” Nat nodded 

 

“Now this is what I am talking about” Hope smiled as she pulled one of the shoulder cloaks outwards

 

“It’s so YOU too!” Jane continued 

 

“What do you think, Alina?” Randy asked, beaming. Their reactions said yes 

 

“I love it. It’s absolutely gorgeous”    
  
“So I guess you could say you’re….” Nat prompted, nudging her gently 

 

“Saying yes to the dress?” Alina sighed

 

“WOooo!” Darcy yelled, knocking back her champagne 

 

As she got changed, Alina thought about how surreal it was to be choosing a wedding dress. She had never really thought about it in any which way before and it was a strangely warm feeling to be surrounded by these people who loved her and supported her, even if it was over something as ridiculously novel as a wedding dress. 

 

//

 

“So, did you find a dress?” Loki asked as the girls all entered the kitchen. After going out for dinner, it was around 7 by the time they got home 

 

“THAT is NONE of your business!” Nat pointed firmly 

 

“Yeah we’re keeping an eye on you” Darcy winked 

 

“You think I would try to see it before the day?” he smirked 

  
“Yes” Tony, Strange, Thor and Bucky yelled from the living room 

 

Loki rolled his eyes.    
  
“But she looks incredible” Pepper said as she followed through to kiss Tony on the forehead. 

 

“I am SO jealous” Clint pouted from the couch

 

“Girls only” Nat winked 

 

“So why wasn’t he allowed to go?” Bucky asked 

 

Clint threw a cushion at him. 

Loki wrapped his arm around Alina’s waist from the bar stool he was sitting on, kissing her cheek.    
  
“So are you going to show me?” he teased 

 

“You really are not the god of patience, are you?” she smiled back, contented at the day behind her. 


	30. Frigga's Revelations

It was 2 weeks out from the wedding and Frigga had come down to visit. Odin was on business with Jotunheim, signing treaties and evaluating progress, so the queen visited on her own, more than comfortable with the Avengers and her sons at this point. She came down with the intentions not just to visit her sons but to speak personally with Alina and evaluate the venue. As such, they were taking a day trip to visit the farm. Alina, Peter Loki, Thor, Clint, Nat, Steve, Bucky and Tony all attended. Strange had decided to bow out back to the Sanctum to speak to Wong for a few days, Jane and Darcy were off with Selvig on some Quantum inquiry, Pepper was busy running Tony’s company as per and the others had all agreed to stay behind just in case someone was needed urgently. Tony always got ansty leaving the tower in the hands of the likes of Scott but felt slightly more reassured knowing Hope and Banner were left in charge. 

Frigga found the flight out rather amusing, being used to instant travel. She was, however, the more gracious of the Odinsons and spent the majority of the time sitting in the copilot seat, questioning Clint on the piloting of the Jet and of different landmarks they passed. Clint was decidedly nervous that Frigga had chosen him as her subject of interrogation and Alina realised that Loki and Thor must’ve mentioned the whole ‘Clint being her dad’ thing to the Queen on their trip up. The others also cottoned on and every time Clint would shift nervously or stammer as he answered a question, they would shoot a smirk at each other across the Jet. Frigga, whom they often saw where Loki got some of his mischievousness from, seemed to know what she was doing as her lips would tweak a little each time Clint fumbled. 

 

“I know what the functions of a farm are, I simply wanted to hear him try to explain it without being condescending” she smiled wickedly at them as Clint brought the jet down 

Tony’s lips curled into a smirk, similar to Nat’s who was barely holding in an audible snort. Meanwhile Peter was following Frigga like a shadow with wide eyes. 

“So, you can do magic too!?” he asked excitedly as he followed her off the jet 

He trailed off after her. 

“I wanna take back the father position” Clint joked as he let out a breath of relief 

Alina laughed and Bucky clapped him on the shoulder with a smirk. 

“Too late now buddy” Stark said as he jumped off the Jet hanger. 

Laura was standing on the porch as they approached, Lila and Cooper on either side of her brindled with excitement. They loved Auntie Nat coming to visit and they had dubbed Alina as Auntie Ali by this point too. Not only this but Thor with mjolnir and Bucky with his metal arm was an absolute treat for them. And, having the real Iron man and Captain America in their house often made them so hyper they wouldn’t sleep. 

“Hi, I’m Laura. Clint told me you were coming” she smiled at Frigga, her hand on Lila’s head. 

“A pleasure. And who, pray tell, are these?” Frigga asked, smiling at the kids as the other’s caught up

“This is Cooper, my son and Lila, my daughter” 

“Hi!” Cooper waved 

Lila hid slightly and Alina went and crouched down beside her, picking her up in her arms. 

“That’s a real life Queen” Alina said to her with a secretive tone 

“Really!?” Lila asked with excitement 

“Yep! She rules another world!” 

“Do you wear a crown?” Lila asked shyly 

“Sometimes I do. But on my ventures I must be dressed for battle” Frigga winked 

Lila giggled and waved out at her and they ventured inside the house, the other’s finally in tow. 

“And this was the farm you speak of?” Frigga asked Clint 

“Uh yes my queen” 

Bucky and Nat were bursting with the laughter they were holding in. Frigga chuckled slightly 

“I am only jesting, Mr Barton” she smiled 

“Sorry, with two kids we don’t have a lot of royalty often visit” Laura said gracefully, clearly handling the situation better than Barton could hope to. 

“I understand. I raised two boys” 

“Gods” Steve smiled 

“Children all the same. Especially when one wanted to get in fights and the other stabbed his brother every second day” 

Loki smiled and looked down whilst Thor raised his eyebrow. How could he forget the constant stabbing? 

“Maybe you had it harder than I” Laura laughed 

“Hey honey I’m just gonna let you handle this and bow out” Clint saluted 

“It is a mother thing” Frigga smiled 

“You’re not going anywhere” Nat smirked 

“Barton, why don’t you show the lady the venue?” Bucky jived 

Loki smirked. At times, he very much liked Barnes and his wicked humour. 

“Oh I don’t know what happened. Last time I saw him he was stuck to a giant magnet… Yeah weird right oh well he’ll be missed” Clint muttered to himself as he lead them out in the backyard earning a well earned set of humourous smirks from those behind him

“Dad! Can you teach me how to shoot some more later?” Cooper asked him excitedly 

“Course buddy!”

“Then I can be a fierce warrior like Queen Frigga!” 

Thor laughed jovially. 

“Aw come on! Am I not cool enough anymore?” Clint grumbled 

“Dad you’re still cool! It’s just the queen lady is cooler” Cooper smiled excitedly 

“I agree” Laura winked at Clint who gave her a cheeky smirk in return as he glanced over his shoulder. 

The woods were just past the paddock area of the farm, a short easy walk and well worth it. Once you stepped foot past the first two trees, it felt as if you were fully immersed in the forest. They were big red wood like trees that left a lot of space to move around and gave an earthy, natural feel with ferns surrounding them and an unusually flat ground. 

“I can work with this” Frigga nodded as Lila and Cooper ran off, climbing up trees and fighting with long sticks they found. 

As Clint, Nat, Frigga and Laura began to traipse around, pointing out locations and trees and discussing their modes of decorating, Alina wrapped her arm around Loki’s waist. They watched as the decorations party conversed, and Thor, Steve, Tony, Spidey and Bucky all partook in a game with Copper and Lila; lifting them into trees and running around. 

“I cannot believe we have Five adult children” Loki remarked dryly as they watched Stark form the Iron Man hands around his own to blast up into a tree as Steve jumped to grab his foot. 

“I can’t believe I have 6” she replied, looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes 

“Hey!” he said in mock offence 

“Thoughts on the venue?” she smiled, looking up at him with her chin just below his shoulder. 

“I like forests” he shrugged 

“That’s a yes then” she smiled 

“We shall see what mother does to the place”

Alina laughed quietly as she heard a “they have those in asgard!?” from Nat across the clearing.

“You’re right, I am starting to regret giving them any free reign” Alina smiled 

“I’ve done worse” he replied, an eyebrow raised 

“Oh no” she questioned 

“I gave Stark the permission to throw a bachelors party” 

She stared at him, a grin breaking out on her face as she realised what this meant. 

“Oh you are SO screwed Loki” she laughed 

“I know. He kept going on about it, and then Thor joined in, and they wouldn’t shut up acting like sad canines so I folded” he sighed 

She continued to laugh. 

“Oh Loki Sweetheart” she managed between laughs, one hand on his shoulder as he shook his head with crossed arms. 

“We are both screwed” he replied 

“Will we even make it to the wedding at this point?” she smiled 

“Mother would drag the both of us from Hel and to the wedding - especially if she was the one who decorated it” Loki nodded 

“Oh dear” she shook her head as they watched Bucky quite literally come crashing out of the tree he had been hiding in. 

Later that afternoon, they sat out in the late summer light on the front porch of the farm house. Frigga sat on the steps with Cooper and Lila either side of her as she told them the Asgardian tales she often told Thor and Loki as kids. Clint’s children listened with intent, asking careful yet excited questions every now and then with glee. Tony, Bucky, and Steve were all chopping wood up for laura and storing it in the barn for the coming winter, as a thank you for looking after them whenever they were round whilst Thor carried the wood. Peter was busy harassing Tony. At times, Loki would roll his eyes from his perch on the porch bannister and use a flick of his magic to send large piles neatly to the barn. 

“You could just help ya know” Tony said

“I am” Loki smirked

Alina, Nat, Clint and Laura were all sitting on deck chairs, sipping ice drinks and rocking back and forth. It was peaceful on a late summers evening as the sun was high, just peaking to come down the other side and a light breeze ran through the grass. It was why Alina and Nat liked it so much out here. Because it was peaceful and calm; directly polarized to their hectic lifestyles. 

When the time came to leave, Lila and Cooper grabbed onto the hems of Frigga’s dress. 

“Dont go!” 

“Do not fret children, I will be back very soon!” 

 

“AWww…. Okay” Lila moaned 

“Wow ya know you usually reserved that treatment for me” Nat smirked 

“We love you too Aunty Nat!” Lila said, hugging her 

“And it appears I am just a leaf in the wind here” Alina said with fake drama

Lila and Cooper immediately jumped up on her. She laughed. 

“WE LOVE YOU AUNTIE ALI!” They yelled 

Nat took a picture, Alina rolled her eyes at her with a smile. 

“It’s being framed” Laura teased 

“Im putting it on a tapestry on the wall” Clint grinned 

“Oh stop it arrow boy” Alina replied, putting down Lila as she stood from her seat/

On the flight home, Frigga targeted Tony as her victim of interrogation much to Clint’s relief. Tony quickly realized his womanizing skills would not have an inch of movement with the Queen and grew increasingly nervous the more questions Frigga asked him. It only followed that he was relieved when they finally arrived back at the tower and he promptly threw himself onto the couch face down. 

“I tap out” he muffled into the fabric 

Clint smirked. Now he knew what it felt like to be the subject of interrogation by the Queen of Asgard.

Alina and Frigga stood out by the Quinjet still on the roof. The sun was setting now and casted a glorious orange glow over New York City, reflecting off the skyscrapers and panelled windows. The breeze fluttered Frigga’s dress as she admired it. Midgard was often trivial but it held an innate beauty of it’s own. 

“You know I never thought Loki would be the first of my sons to get married” she smiled 

“I don’t think anyone did” Alina pointed out 

“But I am glad he has found a light of his own. Thor casted such a big shadow - he still does. But you’ve given Loki a reason to find his way out from that” 

“Im glad you think so” she replied calmly 

“Alina, at some point in our lives, myself and Odin will not be fit to rule anymore. Whether that be death by battle, illness or simply no longer being the leaders we need to be.” 

Alina hummed in response to this, thinking lightly about the situation. She nodded slightly, examining the way the light was casting fractals.

“I’d like yourself and Loki to take the throne” 

Alina looked at her, a range of emotions from confusion to solemness on her face. 

“Neither I nor Loki are Asgardian. Surely we would not be accepted” 

Frigga shook her head with a smile. 

“You are a pure blood Celestial Alina, Asgard would bow at your feet. As for Loki, he is considered redeemed in that respect. With the peace with Jotunheim lasting and a celestial at his side, Asgard would prosper” 

Alina considered this, looking out over the horizon. She couldn’t help but feel calm in this weather. 

“You are fit to be a leader, dear. You have shown self sacrifice and bravery in order to not just save Asgard but the universe at large. Your name is already that of legends in Asgard.” 

“Many a warrior shows self sacrifice” Alina shrugged 

“You kept this team on Midgard together when no one could - bringing out the best in the son I thought was perhaps lost. Miss Everton, you can lead. You have a wise and calm head on your shoulders and I can see you being revered” 

“But to rule an entire realm?” Alina sighed 

“It comes with it’s challenges” 

“That’s an understatement. I can’t even keep myself in check” 

“Alina, you are not a mortal. With your Celestial heritage completely active after your return from death, your aging has slowed down to that of a Gods” Frigga sighed 

“Wait, what” Alina asked, shocked 

“I suppose it has not been enough time for you to notice” 

“So… Im aging at your speed?” 

“You are Celestial...Yes. Ruling a kingdom is your place. What will you do in 100 years time? 1000?” 

Alina felt a sickness rise inside her as she thought of the prospect. It had never been her wish to be immortal, to outlive everyone. It was a dizzying thought to have to watch Nat and Clint and Tony and everyone else on the team grow old and die. To have to attend their funerals. To watch their kids grow old and die too.   
“It is my time to leave. But I imagine Loki will be bringing you up to Asgard sometime soon - as a formality” she smiled before disappearing into the Bifrost 

The world felt like it was spinning. Her body felt weak like she hadn’t eaten in days and her hands were going numb. Her heartbeat threw itself against her ribcage and she gasped raggedly for air. 

“J - Jarvis” she managed 

“Yes, Miss Everton” 

“Get Stark, please” 

“Right away” 

“Not a minute later, Tony walked casually out the doors to the hanger roof top. 

“What’s up Sparkles?” he said with a smirk. 

His smirk dropped to a look of concern as saw her shaking hands and pale face. He took a few strides towards him before she stumbled into his arms. As he hugged her, he felt her subtle shaking. 

“Woah woah woah! What’s up?” 

“Sh-should my left arm be numb” she choked out

“It’s okay you’re having a panic attack. You’re safe Ali” 

“But I am not. I mean, you’re not Tony” 

“Hey what do you mean?” 

“You’re gonna die” she muttered 

“Yeah aren’t we all?” he laughed a little 

“No… Im going to outlive your” 

“Im like… 23 years older than you I imagine so” he said confused 

“No I am going to outlive you like Thor or Loki will outlive you” she choked again, her chest tightening in a way that made her want to grasp at her ribcage. 

“Wait… what” 

She couldn’t speak for a few moments and Tony simply held her patiently, stroking her hair for a while as the sun set. After minutes, she finally spoke. 

“Before she left, Frigga told me that in returning from the dead I came back with my full celestial properties… Meaning… Meaning im not gonna age. Well, slowly - like Thor” she shuddered 

“Well that seems like something they hid in the fine print of those terms and conditions” Tony joked a little 

She shook her head. 

“Tony I don’t want to outlive you guys like this. I don’t want to still look 29 while you’re in your 80s. I don’t want to go to all of your funerals not looking a day older than I do now. I don’t want to watch your kids grow up, and then die too. I can’t live on Earth like this without drawing attention!” her voice broke as she began to cry 

Realising the full magnitude of her distress, Tony too felt tears spring to his eyes. He couldn’t fathom the loneliness of the prospect. To be the same, stagnant whilst Rhodey and Sam and Steve and everyone aged and died. He held her tighter. 

“Im sorry” he whispered as he rocked her

 

“What do I do Tony” she looked up at him in distress, wiping the tears from her cheeks and jaw 

“Come inside cmon” he said guiding her back through into the kitchen and placing her on a barstool at the bench of the kitchen.

The Team all went silent and looked at her in confusion as she sat on the chair with faraway eyes and shaking hands. Tony shook his head over her shoulder at them as he continued to hold her. Loki had already made his way into the kitchen and gave Stark a questioning look. He did not believe it was Stark who triggered this reaction in her. 

“Your mother gave some poorly timed news” he sighed 

“What? Is our mother okay?” Thor asked, standing in concern 

“Your mothers fine beefcakes, it’s her who’s not” 

Loki gently took over Stark’s position and was shocked to notice that Alina was shaking. He had never, ever seen her in this state before despite torture, exhaustion, late nights, sadness, nothing had evoked such a sheer panic. 

“What’s going on?” Clint asked protectively 

“Well, it appears that Frigga made Alina aware that after she came back from the dead one of the conditions of doing so meant her full Celestial heritage was imposed” Stark replied 

“So?” Banner said in confusion, taking off his glasses

“So, she doesn’t age. From this point forward, she ages as Loki or Thor would.” 

“Wait what?” Nat asked 

“No, that doesn’t make sense. Celestials are granted their immortality when they go through a ceremony at age 5. Only then when they are ascertained to be pure of heart do they get granted the aging properties of a Aesir” Thor rumbled 

“Thor buddy, I think her whole dying for the entire universe and coming back from the dead WAS the ceremony” Bucky replied

“Oh” 

“So, basically, when we’re 80 she’s going to still look 29” Stark said 

“And when I attend your funerals, I will look 29. And when I attend your children’s funerals I will look 29” she said as she finally removed her head from where it was buried in Loki’s chest. 

Steve looked at her sadly. He knew all about that. The feeling he had attending Peggy’s funeral had been the worst feeling he had ever felt. 

“What do we do?” Bruce asked 

“You cannot do anything…” Loki said quietly 

“I didn’t choose this. I dont want this at all” 

“Like I said, shitty terms and conditions” Stark added 

“Isn’t this kind of good? I mean, at least you can marry Loki and not die in like 40 years time” Rhodey pointed out 

“I would’ve simply had my immortality stripped otherwise” Loki shrugged, earning a surprised and somewhat solemn look from those in the room. 

“I assume mother thought you already were aware of that fact” Thor added 

“Well, I imagine so, since she asked me to rule Asgard” 

Eyebrows shot up. 

“Really?” Tony asked 

“Thor turned down the throne. Making Loki next in line. Loki being from Jotunheim means he cannot rule but me being Celestial supersedes that in all ways. Therefore if we are married and I take the throne he is King by all legalities” 

“Lord help Asgard” Bucky muttered 

“What did you say?” Loki asked, his voice concerned 

“No.. no conclusions were met” 

Tony handed her a glass of whiskey across the bar and Steve glared at him. 

“What?! Helped my panic attacks” 

“Arguably not the best way of dealing with them Tony” Banner added 

“Let’s sleep on this. Alina will need time to process such news” Thor nodded 

Alina simply knocked back the whole glass of whiskey in response. 

 

Tony gave her a smile. 

“That a girl. If it gets worse, at any point tonight, you wake me up”


	31. The Ball

It took Alina a further few days to really come to terms with the idea. For the first day she was horribly quiet and uneasy and her behaviour was noticeable. On the second day, Nat and Pepper took her shoe shopping and managed to drift her mind from the topic with an overbearing amount of shoe suggestions. She actually enjoyed herself but once she was home again, that horrible feeling befell her once again. Being so used to being a secluded her whole life, to find a family only to have that taken from her was heartbreaking.    
  
But, by the third day she decided enough was enough. Realising all she was doing currently was making people worry and putting a downer on the upcoming wedding, she put on a brave face. After all, she was only going to marry Loki once, she may as well enjoy it and worry about the technicalities of immortality afterwards. Everyone noticed her brighter mood and it relaxed them. Strange could still feel the nervousness in her magic however and made sure to look out for her. 

 

With her more positive mood, day four meant a visit to Asgard. As Frigga mentioned, even though they weren’t getting married on Asgard, there was still traditions to uphold. This included what could only be held akin to a giant engagement party. Loki had quietly briefed Alina on what to expect; being that it was typically a parade throughout the city, a ball and a feast. Being only 11 days out from the wedding meant that they were going up right away in order to be back for Saturday day, which was when each separate party had decided to have the bachelor/bachelorette parties. Pepper had made sure it was a week before the wedding, well aware of the amount Tony would likely drink.

 

Arriving on Asgard with Thor and Loki, they were greeted by Heimdall who smiled at them warmly.    
  
“Welcome home” 

 

There were 3 horses waiting for them and Thor nodded to the white one.    
  
“That one’s yours” he said to Alina 

 

Riding into the city, she noticed an array of decorations from lights to flowers. Thankfully, their ride did not take them through any streets otherwise she could only imagine what might happen. She was already aware that they would be required to do some sort of walk throughout the street on the day of the ball. As such, she did not want to have to do it twice. Approaching the palace, she could see the Warriors 3 and Lady Sif waiting for them. She had chosen to wear the suit Peter had designed for her, and as such her teal side shoulder  cape fluttered as they trotted forward and she fluidly dismounted, giving the horse a pat. 

 

“My lady” Fandral kissed her hand

 

She pulled him in for a hug which he looked somewhat surprised about but returned it quickly. At least if she was immortal she’d still have this lot, she thought absently. Sif embraced her, looking over her outfit with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“Where did you get this?” she asked 

 

“A 17 year old with spider powers made it in an alternate reality” she deadpanned 

 

Sif stared at her.    
  
“I like it” 

 

Alina laughed a little. Of course she did.    
  
“Cool right”    
  
“Badass. Good to fight in?”    
  
“Amazing” she replied appreciatively 

 

Following the greetings, they moved through the palace towards the throne room. Servants would often stare in bewilderment at Alina who apparently had become somewhat of a legend after the whole Thanos ordeal. Stopping in a hallway down from the throne room, Alina shook her head.    
  
“Seriously?” she asked

On the wall was a tapestry of her standing on a battlefield in her Celestial armour in front of the Jotuns and Asgardians. 

 

“Uhhhh yeah you are somewhat… idealised” Sif offered 

 

“Cmon” she said, exasperated 

 

“You literally died and came back” Loki pointed out 

 

“So have you” she smirked 

 

Volstagg laughed loudly.    
  
“She’s right Loki!”   
  
“Okay in which case - she single handedly defeated Thanos, died, came back to life, gave peace to Jotunheim and is the last of the Celestials” he responded 

 

“Joy” Alina rolled her eyes

 

“You’ll do fine” Sif encouraged 

 

As they entered, Odin and Frigga were conversing with some guards and they nodded and shooed them away upon seeing the party. 

  
“Welcome! I trust the journey was safe” Frigga smiled 

 

“Heimdall is yet to fail us” Thor smiled back

 

“Well it seems we are all in high spirits. I hope you are prepared for tomorrow’s events?” Odin asked 

 

They all nodded. It was going to be a full day that’s for sure.

 

“As per tradition, I have set up Alina’s room for her. On Asgard, we like to house the bride and groom separately to keep an air of prestige and mystery” Frigga nodded 

 

Alina had to plant her eyes on the tiled floor to prevent herself from rolling them. Of course they did that on Asgard.

 

“Until then, eat, drink, be merry” Odin continued 

 

“And I suggest you all get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow will be indeed busy” Frigga added 

 

With that, they left. It was only late afternoon here so they mostly spent this catching up. Due to secrecy and what Alina could only assume was hype, they were not allowed to leave the palace or be seen from balconies. Both her and Loki exchanged numerous eye rolls as the evening progressed and they were ran through the rules. It appeared that tomorrow they would be riding through the streets, appearing to the people of Asgard during the mid morning, by the afternoon there would be preparation and then in the evening was a Royal ball. The ball was limited to higher class Asgardians, and royalty of other realms before leading into a feast. Frankly, Alina wanted to bang her head on the long wooden tables over it. It was ridiculously dramatic but she remembered that this only had to happen once and in the interest of her future options, she probably needed to please the Asgardian’s and other realms to some extent. She had learned that with royalty from the other realm attending, her behaviour and poise was likely being evaluated as a future potential leader of Asgard and as such she needed to be at her best. 

  
Sif had briefed her on this as the evening went on. It seemed from her explanation that these other realms would be looking to see not only if she was a fool, but a weak leader. Despite these realms being allies, everyone was always looking to overthrow the other if they felt them or their royals were a threat. This ball was very much to determine not only her and Loki’s relationship but her poise, leadership and heritage was authentic. Every realm was aware of her being Celestial and her sacrifice to Thanos however without seeing it themselves, this often sat in the back of their minds and they wished to evaluate whether or not these qualities rang true in person. 

  
Going to bed that night, alone under the absurdly luxurious silk sheets, she prepared herself for the next day. All her training as an agent, a fighter and as a sorcerer was going to have to be utilized .

 

//

 

She was woken up with plates of fruit in the morning which she idly munched on whilst sitting on the chair by the balcony doors which were wide opened - pouring a fresh breeze in. It was late spring here on Asgard and a wholly pleasant time to be visiting. A few woman were doing her hair and makeup which she had been lectured was necessary and once again, tradition. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the dress hanging in the wardrobe which she was yet to actually look at and could only hope wasn’t something ridiculously over dramatic. Finishing up her pomegranate arils, the woman quietly exited the room. She sighed as she stood up and pulled the dress from the wardrobe, quickly whipping it on.    
  
Thankfully, she was pleasantly surprised. It was teal in colour with only one shoulder which plunged into an armoured gold long sleeve. Across her collar bone was a strip of matching golden armour which attached onto a plate which encircled her shoulder. Plunging down with a thigh high leg split to one side, the tuile like teal fabric only just brushed her ankles revealing a gold underskirt which allowed her to move freely with a matching teal sash that wrapped around her waist. She wore golden sandals which wrapped up her shins to compliment this. 

 

 

 

 

Admiring herself, there was a rap on her door and she answered it to see Sif and Fandral, in full armour waiting for her.

 

“Wow not bad” Sif nodded 

 

“Exquisite” Fandral winked 

 

Alina snapped her door shut behind her a pulled her hair over one shoulder. They hurried down the hallways, Sif and Fandral’s armour clanking as they went. In her head Alina was preparing herself for what was to come. 

 

“Well someone looks gorgeous” she heard Loki’s voice ring out as they rounded the corner into the courtyard behind the palace gates. Waiting for them was Loki, Thor, Frigga, Odin, Volstagg and Hogun as well as other palace guards. 

 

“You’re welcome” Sif replied, indicating it had indeed been her who had made the clothing choice. 

 

Loki wore his full green and gold royal armour and Thor too wore his silver and gold. Each of their respective capes fluttered in the breeze as they mounted a horse each. Thor’s was a brown steed and Loki’s surprisingly a pure white and rather comically adorned with little horns. Both Odin and Frigga were already on their horses who too, were a deep brown. Alina kept her face even as she smoothly mounted behind Loki, sitting side saddle as she was instructed. She put her chin on his shoulder from her position behind him and he smiled. 

  
“This is a new angle” she pointed out

 

“A rather pleasant one” Loki laughed as the Warriors positioned themselves on the ground around them and the gates started to open. There must had been some kind of noise cancelling spell on the palace because as soon as the gates were open, the noise was hectic. People were yelling and cheering and singing. There was music playing in the distance and kids darted across the road in front of them excitedly.    
  
“Oh hell” Alina whispered 

 

Loki let out a little laugh as they moved forwards. Odin and Frigga rode in front, waving here and there and smiling. Loki and Thor’s horses were beside one another and they exchanged a look which could only be akin to brotherly love. Once out of the gates, people began throwing buckets of white flowers onto Alina, Loki and Thor. There was cheering and singing happening and people desperately leaned over the barrier as they threw their flowers, to get a closer look. 

 

Alina moved through the theatrics of it, smiling at the people they passed and waving here and there. At one point she said something quietly to Loki and he kissed her forehead, earning a scream and cheer from many of the ladies watching. He good humouredly rolled his eyes at this and Alina laughed a little. Towards the end of their ride, once they had nearly looped all the way back around, they dismounted their horses and interacted with those behind the barriers. A child gave Alina a white flower akin to a Lily and she tucked it behind her ear with a quiet smile. Finally, after an hour of parading and talking and smiling and waving, they were back inside the palace gates.    
  
“Hard part is over” Hogun laughed 

 

“I’d hardly call that the hard part. She still has to impress the leaders from the other realms” Sif pointed out 

 

“I was talking about for us” Hogun grunted

“Cheery” Alina replied as Loki kissed her cheek and repositioned the flower in her hair. 

 

“Now, our guests are about to arrive to be settled into their quarters and be readied for the ball. Miss Everton, you are to remain in your room until the ball” Odin instructed 

 

“Right. Don’t let anyone see me” she nodded 

 

“I will see you tonight, darling” Loki said as she half saluted him and was marched off down the hallway with Sif. Loki and Thor were given the task, along with the King and Queen, of charming their guests as they were shown their rooms. 

 

Alina on the other hand arrived back to her own room to find lunch waiting for her. Sif was required to help Fandral and the others locate guests and their quarters and so Alina was left alone. Being only 2pm she still had 2 full hours before the maids would be arriving to redo her makeup and change her hair. Bored, she sat out on the balcony and allowed herself the time to simply think about things; something she hadn’t done in a while since everything so recently had been touch and go. Reclining in a chair, she placed her feet on a cushioned stool as she ate grapes. Picking them off their vine one by one, her mind drifted to the night ahead. The Jotuns were at least an easy task. Norfi and Surt were on her side, having already won them over nearly a year ago. The others, however, were not so simple. Most of the realms had fallen into peace after Thanos’ demise and had new, less threatening leaders. Even the Dark Elves had a new leader who was going to be in attendance tonight. She reminded herself that to these people, power was of the essence. She could not afford to come across weak. While the thought of ruling Asgard made her dizzy as it’s implications would mean her friends would be long dead, she had to respect it was a reality and she was making it easier for herself in the future if she dealt with this now rather than later. 

Coming across weak tonight could have lasting consequences, with other realms simply waiting until Odin left power to attack Asgard and likely Midgard too. 

 

Lost in thought as she dozed in the sun, she was barely aware that time had passed so quickly and before she knew it, she was being tucked back into the lavish chair inside and having her hair braided. It ended up being a wispy updo which was loosely braided into a low bun. Under the messy braids that ran from each side of her head sat a delicate golden leaf headband which sported little berry like offshoots with diamonds as the berries. Her makeup had been transformed from it’s neutral day look to a gold and brown smokey eye which lit up her green eyes and a glossy nude pink lip. By the time they had finished with her it was nearly 6 and she was required to be making an entrance. 

 

// 

 

The ball had started at 5:30 and the brothers, warriors nad king and queen had all made it their duty to warm their guests up. It was the first time in centuries all 9 realms had been represented in the same room and hence forth, the tension needed disparaging. 

 

Alina stood behind the large oak doors which were adorned with golden handles. On either side stood a guard in their full armour get up. She shifted nervously. The room inside quietened down a little as Odin began to speak, his voice muffled to her from behind the door. On what seemed to be a trigger, the guards leant forward and pulled back a door each. Alina took a few steps forward to the top of the steps which lead down into the packed room. There was an array of creatures there and they all looked up at her in interest, curiosity and wonder   
  
“Dreaming Celestial, Future Queen of Asgard Lady Alina Everton” Odin finished, gesturing up to her

 

She squared her shoulders. Loki simply stared at her in awe. The dress she wore was figure fitting with thin gold adorned spaghetti straps. It had a beautiful golden bodice which sported intricate, most likely handmade, designs that plunged down into the skirt. The skirt of the dress faded out from these golden designs to have sheer rose gold tulle which covered her feet perfectly. He had to remind himself to close his mouth to avoid looking like a fool. He could not however, stop staring as he stood at the bottom of the steps. Her hair was perfectly styled in it’s messy updo with pieces falling around her face and the delicate golden leaf and diamond headband sparkled and glinted. 

  
  


With a nearly different persona, she walked down the stairs with elegance and confidence, her head held high and her shoulders back as she evaluated the room and it’s murmuring. Reaching the bottom, she took Loki’s outstretched hand. Flicking her eyes to him, Loki appreciated how brightly their green stood out against all the gold. Making their way across the room to Frigga, Odin and Thor, the guests made a little path for them. A few of the light elves watched her with what seemed to be rather genuine smiles - the dark elves were harder to read and she made sure she made evaluating eye contact with them as she passed. Nearing Odin, she smiled at Norfi nodding her head graciously as she took her place in between Thor and Loki.    
  
Stood on a raised platform, slightly above everyone else. Odin gave a speech which seemed mostly focussed on sacrifice, strength and unity; highlighting Alina’s own sacrifice and discussing peace in the 9 realms. Finally, he went on to discuss the marriage. Once that was over with, the room dispersed into dancing, drinking and socializing. Loki and Thor danced with Alina first, as per custom. In the middle of Thor’s dance, Norfi cut in and drew Alina away to interact with the Jotuns and the Light Elves. 

 

This, was the easy part, the Jotuns being already fond of her and known to her made the interaction go smoothly as any gaps in conversation could easily be filled by them. The Light Elves, it seemed, were already very positive about her and engaged her in topics of battles as well as those of her dress and her abilities. It went relatively smoothly and she made sure to keep an attentive yet mysteriously evaluating tone to her behaviour. Before long, Hogun excused her and introduced her to his people: The Vanir. Those who inhabited his home planet of Vanaheim were known for their powerful sorcery abilities and most of their conversation focussed on this; as well as Vanaheims history which the Vanir’s were pleasantly surprised to learn Alina new a lot about. Her time last year in Asgard had meant a lot of reading. She was well aware Frigga hailed from Vanaheim and had married Odin which had united the realms. Surprisingly, a few of the dwarves of Nidavellir ambled over, including Eitri. Alina knew very little of the dwarves but thankfully they seemed to direct discussion which finally landed on her weapons. 

 

“You possess a dragonfang, do you not?” Eitri asked 

 

Alina nodded and conjured the sword in her hand in an array of golden dust. The Vanir nodded and looked at one another at her casual act of magic. She held dragonfang up slightly for Eitri to see, turning it as it glinted under the light of the magnificent chandelier. After he was satisfied, Alina had it disappear again. Eitri then launched into the subject of weapons and enchanting them with herself and the Vanir. Hogun winked at Fandral as he allowed the conversation to flow, well aware of how well it was going. It was very important that the Vanir liked Alina and respected her as they sat at the top of the tree with the Aesir. If war were to happen, they would need the Vanir on their side. 

 

Alina knew the two hardest were still left though. These were the inhabitants of Niflheim and Muspelheim. Niflheim was famously where Hel was located and was known to be a dark and misty realm; it’s inhabitants and leaders mirroring this in their all black outfits and interesting helmets which resembled ice picks. Muspelheim on the other hand was home to the fire demons. These two realms were the most likely to cause problems, the hardest to please and Muspelheim and its inhabitants were considered dangerous even to Asgardian’s due to their extreme heat and fire abilities. These two realms often worked together and reflected this as they stood in pockets with one another, conversing and drinking. 

 

Thor nodded to her across the room as she evaluated them. Crossing the room by his side, they approached the two groups. 

  
“Surtr, Mangog. This is Lady Alina” Thor nodded.    
  
Across the room, Frigga and Odin took sneaking peeks at this interaction - still maintaining their relaxed air as they began to speak with the Vanir and Jotuns. 

 

“I did not realise a Celestial needed an escort such as you” Surtr said with some apathy to Thor 

 

Thor shook his head, holding back his retaliation as Alina glanced at him with raised eyebrows. 

 

“Go, Thor” she commanded 

 

He looked at her in surprise and she shooed him. Looking around, he backed away and left to speak to the Sif who was having a rousing discussion about weapons with Etri. 

 

“And what is a child such as yourself doing in a position such as this?” Surtr drawled 

 

“We have little control of our destinies Surtr” she responded, looking him dead in what she could only imagine were his eyes 

 

“A child nonetheless” Mangog responded 

 

“A child who fought and defeated the Mad Titan whilst your realms hid back in cowardice” she replied calmly

 

“It was not our battle”    
  
“You would have died had I lost, fire demon” she nodded 

 

“Not even you can touch me” he laughed, gesturing outwards with his flame encompassed hand. 

 

With a calm movement, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. He stopped and looked at her. The fire demons on either side of him also seemed to lean in to evaluate her grip.    
  
“What trickery is this?” Surtr hissed 

 

“No trickery. Simply a reminder that I can touch you” she stared, slowly letting go of his wrist 

 

There was not a mark on her hand. From across the room, the princes watched this interaction. 

 

Mangog seemed to laugh, strangely enough. She was aware of the monsters reputation. He could suck and devour souls right from living creatures - feeding them into his own life force. Quietly, she activated the Soul stone. Mangog gave her a strange tilt of the head before grabbing it in pain. He writhed around for a moment before she released her grip. Her connection with the soul stone had allowed her to make him feel the pain and terror of all the souls he had devoured into his life force. 

  
“What happened, sire” another of his creatures asked 

 

“This is the time to remember that if you wish to be treated as Asgard’s allies and in its favour in the future you should begin acting as such. I may be young but I have no problem winning a war and, I can touch you, Fire Demons” she responded with a rather formidable air

 

“Winning a war. You are overconfident” Surtr growled 

 

“You are the cowards who hid in their caves whilst the other realms were at risk from Thanos and his children. I hardly think I am over confident” she smiled

 

“You don’t know the power of our realms”    
  
“I do actually. I supersede your realms and the stones give me a knowledge of not just your power but your abilities too. Do not forget the example of the Jotuns and the rewards they are reaping from their allegiance to the Aesir. Perhaps you may be here begrudgingly but your allegiance results in my protection and I would think long and hard about that” 

 

She turned to walk away and Surtr grabbed her wrist. Sif, Thor, Fandral and Loki all flinched on instinct. Alina barely batted an eyelid as she turned and squared herself to the demon. 

 

“Muspelheim pledges it’s allegiance” he said 

 

“In time, we shall see just how true that really is” she responded, turning away from him and gliding towards Loki, smiling graciously at a few Vanir as she went.    
  
“Consensus?” Frigga asked 

 

“Muspelheim would like to pledge their allegiance”    
  
Loki raised his eyebrows.    
  
“Perhaps you should be the Queen sooner than we thought” he teased 

 

“We will see how they hold their promise” Alina responded haughtily 

 

The night continued on like this, with her making circles throughout the group. Breaking down Muspelheim and Niflheim in particular, slowly edging them to interact with the other present realms. As they retired for the night, Loki strode beside her down the grand hallways.    
  
“You did excellently tonight, My queen” he said. He was teasing but their was a hint of solemness in his tone.    
  
“The results of this will be the judge of that” she responded, still holding her confident and wise persona from the night as they approached her door.    
  
“You know, this whole powerful queen thing you’re doing is quite sexy” he murmured in her ear from behind as she pushed open her door. 

 

“Really?” she smirked as he closed the door behind them and she turned around 

 

“Yes, really. But, I think it’s time I showed you who’s in charge darling” he smiled wickedly, pushing her back on the bed and running his hand down her clothed thigh. 


	32. War

Asgard was arguably the easy part. Saturday rolled around and Nat and Stark in their own respects had organised the bachelor parties. From midday onwards, they split up. Okoye was in New York on business and so the girls had invited her to tag along - believing it was good to increase positive relations between Wakanda and their teams. Okoye and Alina got along quite well, in a mutual quiet respect. It was this that lead them to drinking in a rooftop garden bar at 2 in the afternoon. 

“So Asgard was lame?” Darcy asked, sipping through the straw of a long island. They had barely even begun drinking and she was already hitting her second; not without eye rolling from Okoye and Jane. 

“Just lots of tradition I guess” Alina shrugged 

“Tony would’ve done worse with tonight for the boys” Pepper smiled knowingly 

“What’s the bet Loki doesn’t make the wedding?” Nat smirked 

“High, with Stark” Okoye nodded 

“You know at least I’d have something to complain to -” Alina was cut of by a flash of light 

They all stood up, pushing their chairs back as the steam cleared. It revealed Ingu, a warrior and adviser to Freyr; King of Vanaheim. 

Alina put her hand out, indicating to the woman around her that Ingu and the other man were not a friend. 

“Good Lady Alina, we beg of your assistance” 

Alina stepped forward cautiously, head tilted in curiosity. She waved her hand to reveal that the people in front of her were merely projections, flickering. 

“What could the people of Vanir possibly utilise me for?” she asked, as the other woman watched on carefully. 

“Ymir, ruler of Niflheim has waged war on Vanaheim. We need your direction and power to win this conflict” 

Alina knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. 

“Surely this should be a matter that is pressed with King Odin?” she queried, not understanding why they would come to her and not the Allfather 

“And that we have tried but we have been unable to contact Asgard - as have the Jotuns and Light Elves who refuse to fight alongside us unless commanded so by the Allfather. They fear punishment for engaging in an unsanctioned war” 

Alina glanced behind her. It was strange that Asgard was uncontactable considering she had been there only yesterday lunchtime. Sighing, she nodded. 

“I will be with you shortly” 

“Thank you, my Queen” 

“Not yet” she replied 

The figures flickered and disappeared in another flash of light and Alina turned to the woman. 

“Heimdall” she half yelled, half sighed 

Nothing. 

She tried again. 

Nothing. 

“Does that usually work?” Okoye asked 

“God damnit Pepper can you call Stark I need Thor and Loki” 

Pepper nodded and quickly whipped out her phone. Dating Tony meant having him on speed dial was a necessary. It rang through, quickly resulting in Tony’s signature, cocky voicemail. 

“They have their phones off, or in the car” Hope nodded 

“Fuck. I need to get to Vanaheim”

“Can’t you just like magic yourself there?” Darcy asked 

Alina shook her head. 

“It doesn’t work like that. I need to be able to connect with and visualise the place and it takes too much power. I’d almost certainly be knocked unconscious” 

“Asgard not answering?” Nat asked 

Alina mused for a moment. Glancing among the woman in front of her. Her eyes landing on Jane who seemed to be pondering the question the hardest, she came to a rather whacky realisation. 

“Jane?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You know those gravitational field poles you used in London?” 

“Yeah” 

“Still got them?” 

“Yeah they’re in my apartment”

“Well, lets go” 

They quickly hopped in Stark’s limo and had the agent drive like a maniac. Luckily, Jane’s apartment was only 10 minutes downtown and they quickly slammed open the doors. Jane running to a closet and pulling out a number of large, threatening looking poles. 

“What do you want me to do?” She asked

“In theory, those poles could open gravitational fields between worlds, right?” 

“Yes but we cannot control where or how” Jane nodded, adjusting her black dress as she held the poles loosly. 

“I can handle that part just set them up” 

Jane nodded, shoving some Darcy’s way as they headed out of the building and out into the back alley. 

“What do you plan on doing?” Okoye asked 

“Fighting, I guess” Alina answered, morphing into her combat outfit Peter had made and checking and then resheathing Dragonfang. 

“We’re coming with you” Nat said

“No. You’re not” Alina replied as she unsheathed and resheathed her daggers 

“Um, this is your bachelorette party. We are DEFINITELY coming” Hope nodded 

“This is not you war. It’s barely mine. And bringing Midgardian’s to other realms to fight signals that Earth is ready for a higher form of war. Plus, you’re really not dressed nor armed for it” she continued, nodding to their dresses and lack of guns 

“Easy solve’ Hope replied, walking to the Limo which was in view of their alley and popping the boot. She chucked several guns towards Nat and Okoye, as well as Okoye’s electric spear. 

“How bout now?” Nat smirked, loading her gun 

“Not dressed for it” 

“Easy solve” Hope said again, holding up a case which fell open to reveal her Wasp suit 

“God, why?” Pepper asked 

“I had a gut feeling we’d be needing all this” Hope shrugged 

“We don’t have time for dress up” 

“Magic us into our outfits then” Nat smirked 

Alina stared at her. She knew the resolve of this woman and wouldn’t put it past Nat to simply jump through after her. Left with little option, she waved her hand and within a second Nat, Okoye and Hope were all dressed in their combat uniforms. 

“Can’t let you die before your wedding day after all” Okoye answered, twirling her pole

“Fine. Nat, Okoye, Hope with me. Jane and Darcy I need you to monitor these gravitational poles in case it’s our only way home. Pepper, you do what you do best: Find Tony” 

They all nodded.

“READY?” Jane yelled 

The combat team nodded and Jane and Darcy activated the poles. In between them was a barely visible circle of glow. Glancing to the woman around her, Alina threw up a golden shield which protected them from being separated. 

“With me” she said as they stepped forward and disappeared through the field. 

//

Stepping through, they were in a sort of spindly stone castle surrounded by trees. They were clearly looking out through a window of the building and turned quickly as they heard footsteps approach. Okoye, Nat and Hope all raised their weapons at the oncoming Vanir’s but Alina, who stood in the centre, waved her hand gently. Glancing at her, they lowered them. 

“You took some time” Freyr commented 

“The portals between worlds do not open easily, King Freyr” Alina answered

“Indeed they don’t. I assume Asgard is uncontactable, even to you?” he questioned 

She nodded. 

“So what’s the play?” 

He gestured to another window on their opposite side where in the distance, trees had fallen and their was visible fighting taking place. 

This morning, Niflheim attacked us unexpectedly. There was little warning and they have continued to push our forces back, destroying villages in their midst. Alina shook her head as she watched the battle in the distance. 

“What’s the assailant’s MO?” she asked 

“We are yet to know - we imagine they disagreed heavily with our engagement with Muspelheim and Surtr after they pledged allegiance.” 

“What are up against?” Nat asked 

Freyr looked to her curiously and Alina simply gestured for him to continue. 

“The creatures from Niflheim are varied in their appearance and ability. Some come as giants, others as dwarves, others as trolls, others look like you or eye but with some slight…. Deformities. But they all share a common trait and that is their talent with the cold and dark. You must not let them latch onto you - once they get a grip on you for more than 10 seconds, they can suck you lifeforce or simply slow your heart to death” Ingu answered 

“Huh” Hope said 

“See why I said you shouldn’t come” Alina replied dryly 

“Hey no, this is your bachelorette party - it’ll be fun” Nat answered 

“Define fun” Okoye replied 

“Excuse my intrusion but who, pray tell, are these mortal women?” Freyr asked 

“Think of them like a task force - Courtesy of Midgard” Alina replied, loading another gun from her waist 

“Guns, so primitive” Ingu replied 

“Thank you” Okoye muttered 

“What’s our back up like?” Alina asked 

“You have the remainder of the royal army but as of yet, that is it” 

Alina nodded. 

“I will make contact with the Jotuns. The space stone allows us to share a rather, intimate, connection. But, I cannot guarantee they will arrive let alone anyone else” she told the room 

“We shall do what we have to, to win this war” Freyr replied 

“As for now, get clothed for battle” he nodded to the woman 

“Uhuh… so we’re ready, how about you?” Nat asked 

“You plan on fighting without armour?” he raised his eyebrows 

“Less restricting” Hope shrugged 

“You mortals truly are unruly” 

Okoye gave a judgemental look and Alina simply smirked, hiding a laugh. As Freyr turned to issue commands to his guards to ready the army, Alina turned to the group behind her. 

“Bit of a prick” Hope commented 

“They’re all like that out here. You get used to it” 

“Time to show them who’s boss” Nat winked 

Alina sighed. 

“Why am I not surprised your pre wedding party is fighting a war? Miss Everton you are a true Wakandan” Okoye smiled tightly 

“Oh no. Im good. Im already entangled in one royal families business” Alina grinned back 

“We are ready” Freyr called out 

Alina nodded, looking around her. 

“Good. Let’s go get them” 

// 

“Sorry explain that again” Stark responded, slightly drunk 

“You heard me perfectly the first time” Pepper blanked 

“Who were these people?” Thor asked

“Um the… god what did Alina call them. The Veneers?” Pepper tried 

“The Vanirs. They are a people equal to Aesir” Thor nodded 

“And they said they were under attack?” Loki asked

“Something about Niflheim?” Pepper offered 

“Sons of bitches” Thor responded 

“Why did they contact Alina, and not the Allfather?” Strange interjected 

“Apparently they couldn’t. They said Asgard was uncontactable” Pepper relayed 

Thor and Loki exchanged a look. 

“HEIMDALL” Thor yelled 

“HEY HEY NO NOT IN HERE YOU’LL DESTROY THE BUILDING!” Steve yelled 

Nothing happened. 

“Heimdall?” Loki tried this time 

Yet again, silence. 

“Without Heimdall we have no way of reaching Vanaheim” Thor lectured  
“Well, I’d get to it boys” Pepper said, taking the drink out of Tony’s hands. 

“Where’s Jane?” Thor asked 

“Even if we were to use gravitational fields, we cannot specify as to where their location appears” Banner added 

“We need to make contact with Asgard” Thor rumbled. 

//

The royal army was moments from breaking through the treeline and engaging with the warriors of Niflheim. Once the tree line was broken, the backup charged forward and began to fight with energy; replacing the tired warriors who had been holding Niflheim’s lines back.   
As an element of surprise, Alina teleported herself and her bachelorette party into the middle of the battle. They stood as a team, Alina in the front with Nat, Okoye and Wasp behind her - their weapon’s ready and their stance for battle. The field seemed to slow down to almost a freezing point as the tired warriors evaluated them and Niflheim’s forces looked around in surprise. 

Freyr was not wrong when he described their forces as varied. From their vantage point, the team could see creatures of rocks, elves, demon like creatures and those who looked very much like themselves if it wasn’t for the four eyes or the third arm protruding from their backs. 

Alina drew Dragonfang. 

“For the 9 Realms” she said

“Eh - more like for making it till your wedding” Hope replied 

Alina rolled her eyes and slashed an oncoming beast in the throat, it fell forward in mid run collapsing at Okoye’s feet. 

“Disgusting” she regarded 

“Don’t get yourself killed” Alina replied with a glance at the three before they launched into the battle. 

Freyr and the Vanir were pleasantly surprised at the Mortal’s fight. Wasp used her skillset to shrink and grow in and out of combat, going small to get on top of the rock creatures before growing once she had found their weak spot. Okoye to them was a formidable and rather traditional warrior and Natasha most certainly had the hand to hand skill set they did not expect from her. It was not before long that the sorcerers of the Vanir where using their magic to throw the Mortal team through portals and boost them up as they fought. Alina in turn was blasting through creatures in a tandem effort between her sword, her guns and her magic. She used her sorcery to deal with some of the more troublesome creatures such as the demons which were hard to land a physical hit on. 

Surely, she made her way through the battlefield towards Ymir, the other three constantly on her tail. Ymir, being a giant, was wiping out rows of Vanir with just a swipe of his huge sword. As she was perhaps halfway their, a flash and a bang occurred and behind them appeared about 100 Jotuns. Alina waved her sword at Surt as he nodded and engaged in battle. Despite this extra help, moving across the field whilst watching out for her team became tough. Niflheim’s variant of warriors made them hard to keep track of and at one point, a demon managed to get ahold of Hope’s wrist, leaving a cold black mark that nearly burned it’s way through her suit before Okoye impaled it with her spear. They exchanged a gratuitous nod before continuing. 

“We must remove Ymir!” Freyr yelled across the field 

“BIT CAUGHT UP HERE!” Alina yelled back

It was at this moment that a crack opened up in the ground, only a metre behind where Alina and her team stood, they jumped forward in shock. Out of the crack seemed to be some sort of lava. Okoye and Nat exchanged a concerned look before fire demons began to crawl out of it. 

“Uh!? I don’t think my skill set works on those?” Nat yelled 

“They’re friendlies” Alina yelled over her shoulder, gun in each hand as she shot oncoming huminoud Niflheim warriors 

Finishing them off, Surtr appeared beside her. 

“A pleasant surprise” she said evenly 

“We may be demons but we do not break our promises, child” Surtr responded 

Alina raised her eyebrows before impaling dragonfang through an oncoming dark demon. Surtr evaluated this with what seemed to be a large grin before launching into battle himself. The fire demons were a helpful sight, able to quickly light up the dark demons and being immune to their burning cold touch. Before long, Alina and her team had reached Ymir. Alina and Nat jumped as he swiped his sword at them. 

Hope had disappeared as they glanced around, confused, before she appeared at the top of his sword, laying a powerful momentum filled punch into his jaw. The giant stumbled backwards. Despite this, he righted himself again and continued swinging furiously. 

“Hope you’ve got a plan” Nat glanced at her as she shot out the legs of a rock like creature running towards them 

“Uhhh well -” she began, when rope was chucked towards her. 

Looking to the thrower, she was surprised to see Hogan.

“His legs” he grunted 

“What in Hel are you doing here?” Alina asked 

“I was visiting my family when war broke out” 

She nodded. No Asgardian help then. Hope shrunk down and ran between Ymir’s legs, reappearing on the other side as she held the opposite piece of the rope. She then shrank again, still holding the rope, to a different position. And again, and again, and again. Until the rope was entangled around his legs and he swiftly came down as he attempted to step forward as he swung his huge sword. 

The Vanir cheered as he fell, the Jotuns jeering and the Fire demons hissing and spitting fire in laughter. 

“The battle is not won yet” Alina commanded 

It was as she did so, and was distracted, she felt a collar go around her neck. Immediately, she tried to blast the person behind her on her back off. However she could not use her magic. 

“Fuck” she muttered, taking one of Loki’s knives from her thigh and imbedding it in the demon on her back, throwing it off. 

“Alina?!” Nat yelled 

She pulled and tugged and cut at the strange collar around her neck to no avail. 

“This stupid collar is stopping my magic” she yelled 

“Welcome to our world” Nat shrugged as she continued fighting. With Ymir down, the battle was coming to a close. But Alina had begun to notice black hooded figures on the field which did not seem to be fighting so much as assessing. There were probably 6 of them from her count, but it was hard to tell due to their matching outfits. 

As the battle was winding down, one of them grabbed Nat, electrocuting her into unconsciousness and dragging her back towards the opposite treeline. Hope went after her, putting up a fight against two of the black hooded figures but one had managed to lodge an electric bomb into her suit and it too, knocked her into unconsciousness. Alina was yet to see this as she was engaged with the last of the dark demons. She only noticed when Okoye too was taken down. Realising her team was down, she nodded to Surtr, Freyr and Norfi to finish the rest as she charged after the figures. One turned and she slid under his arm, turning and connecting her fist to what should’ve been his head. Her fist went straight through the hood, knocking it off to reveal a stump of neck where the head should be. She gasped, and took a few steps backwards in shock. The other’s had finished off the battle and she made swift eye contact with Freyr over the severed neck. He too looked shocked and in fear. From behind, she felt something connect with her head and she hit the ground hard, groaning as she tried to get off her front. 

An eerie voice sounded across the field, one that was calm and loud yet not a yell. Simply a voice in all of their heads. 

“Celebrate your win here today. It has been but a glorious battle. We are not here to harm you but to simply collect the threats to Niflheim” the voice resounded 

Alina struggled to get up, the knock to her head flooring her and the collar preventing her magic. 

“Who are you?” Hogun yelled out across the battlefield 

“The collectors of silence” the voice resounded 

This was the last thing Alina heard as she reached for a dagger, poised to stab the closest silent figure in the thigh, before a powerful volt of electricity coursed through her. Dropping Loki’s knife, she promptly lost consciousness. 

“You will pay for that demon” Norfi snarled 

A member of the hooded figures simply waved dismissively before a black, crackling portal appeared and they all disappeared taking the 4 women with them. 

//

Hogun handed Loki the dagger Alina had dropped. There was silence as Loki held it across the palms of two hands, breathing heavily as he looked down on it. It was bloodstained but the iridescent blue shine still came through. They were on Asgard, after finally managing to unblock the spell which had blocked Asgard from the rest of the 9 realms. 

“She was a fearless and courageous leader” Freyr said out of the quiet 

“And she has our respect and gratitude” Ingu added 

“Respect and gratitude does not save her, nor our friends” Steve said evenly. Bucky put a hand on his shoulder gently. 

“I impressed by the Mortal’s efforts. We owe Midgard a debt of honour” Freyr replied, regarding Stark and Steve who stood at the forefront, with a sort of curious respect. 

“Hogun run us through these hooded devils again” Fandral asked

“They appeared on the battlefield as shadows, barely noticeable in the chaos and only focussed on Lady Alina and her warriors. As the Battle came to a close, Lady Alina honourably moved to fight for her teammates, tricking one of them as she moved under his arm but as she went to connect with where should of been his head - his hood fell to simply reveal a stump of a neck” 

“And she could not use her sorcerery?” Strange asked 

Norfi shook his head. 

“She had been entrapped with a strange collar” Surtr inputted for the first time 

“And of Muspelheim?” Odin asked 

“Niflheim has betrayed our trust and our ancient treaty. We are no longer their allies” 

Odin considered this before nodding. 

“Freyr, your place is rebuilding your people. I will leave the task of finding the mortals and Lady Alina up to the Aesir” 

“Thank you, all father. You, and your future Queen, have my utmost gratitude” he replied, before turning and leaving in a flurry, his advisors and council beside him. 

“You cannot access Niflheim without dark magic” Surtr said, his booming voice echoing off the marble floors and walls and making the Asgardian warriors flinch on instinct 

“Why am I not surprised she’s gone and gotten herself compromised a week out from the wedding” Clint sighed, snapping his bow and arrow. 

“She is a fierce warrior and she leads with confidence, Allfather. I would be honoured to serve under her” Surt said 

“Can’t serve under her if she’s dead” Stark pointed out 

“I will do what I can to trace Niflheim’s energy. It is easy enough to tell if there are creatures down there who do not belong. However I need to return to Muspelheim to do so” Surtr responded, turning and walking in a trail of hot foot prints, out towards the bifrost. 

“Pleasant fella” Bucky commented, still looking around. Asgard never got old for him. 

“Sounds like Nat’s hen night went good then” Steve commented dryly 

“Are you even surprised that she turned their night into them fighting a war?” Clint asked, his tone equally dry 

“Come now, we must focus our energy on locating Lady Alina” Thor chided 

“I cannot feel her magic. I assume it’s the collar described” Strange said with raised eyebrows. 

Loki nodded evenly, grasping the hilt of the bloody knife in his hand with force. Why did she always have to do this? He thought to himself. His heart ached as he worried for her. He, nor anyone else, had heard of this headless group and it only made him worry more. She was capable but how could she fight a threat that had not existed until now? 

Sighing, he gripped the knife tighter and made eye contact with Frigga. Swallowing, he met her concerned gaze which was surprisingly glassy. She felt her Son’s pain and knew of such struggles. Shaking his head a little, he cleared his throat and turned to Thor. 

“We’ve got 6 days” he said 

The group nodded. The countdown begun. Could they find the girls alive and well before the wedding?


	33. Hel

They woke up with their wrists chained above their heads. 

“Ughhh typical” Nat groaned 

“Let’s go fight a war, that’s a great idea for a hens night” Hope groaned in return

“I wasn’t even meant to be there to begin with” Okoye replied, spitting some blood from her mouth 

“Any idea where we are?” Nat asked 

“Niflheim - I imagine” Alina groaned, twisting her wrists in their restraints 

“Bit dark” Hope replied 

“That would be because you are in Hel” A eerie female voice rang out 

There was scrapping of what sounded like a sword across the cold rocky ground before a figure appeared from behind one of the huge rocky stalagmites that were littered in front of them. The woman was tall with jet black slicked hair and a black and green skin tight outfit. Her hair was mostly covered under a huge multi pronged helmet that spiked outwards. She strutted towards them, her sword dragging on the ground the same way a tired teacher would drag chalk across the board.

“This wasn’t how I envisioned meeting my future sister, when I was a child” she continued as Nat tried to loosen her wrist from it’s chains 

“Who are you?” Okoye asked 

“Hela, Goddess of Death, Odin’s first born and the rightful heir to the throne” 

 

“I don’t care” Okoye replied

 

“Oh shit” Nat answered 

“Not that he’s mentioned” Alina nodded slightly 

“And why would he? Banished me down here to spend the rest of my days idle with those unfortunate enough to join me” 

 

“I didn’t know” 

“Of course not. Interesting, he seems to be collecting heirlooms. Goddess of Death AND the Goddess of Life. How intriguing, I wonder what his angle is this time” she mused in a sinister voice 

“Why are you banished down here then if you are his daughter?” Hope asked, as Nat desperately kept trying to squeeze her wrist to no avail

“Odin and I drowned entire civilizations in blood. We were unstoppable. I was his weapon in the conquest that built Asgard's empire. One by one, the realms became ours. But then, simply because my ambition outgrew his, he banished me, caged me, locked me away like an animal. As he decided to be a… benevolent king, to foster peace” she hissed 

“I have read Asgard’s history that’s not…” Alina began 

“Because, Odin’s answer to every problem is to simply cover it up. Where do you think all that gold came from sister?” 

“I’m not your sister” 

“No? Perhaps not yet but you may as well be. And… you’ve stolen my seat” she replied 

“Odin still sits on the throne” Alina replied, pulling on the chains around her wrists 

“But for how long? Until the 9 realms have a new ruler, a queen to carry on Odin’s lies” 

“I didn’t know of his past, Hela” 

“You don’t really know him. And for a non asgardian to sit on it’s throne must mean he finds you particularly worthy. But then again, you are a celestial” she smirked 

“This isn’t her fight” Okoye argued, well aware and versed in royal family issues.

“No? It has become hers with the decision to take the throne” 

“That decision has not been made yet” Alina growled 

“But it has, dear sister. After all, what will you do? Let the 9 realms fall into chaos? Thor refuses to take the throne and Loki is not fit to do so without you by his side. It is in your nature to do so” she snarled 

“I have no quarrel with you. This is Odin’s problem” 

“Oh sister. You will soon learn that Odin’s problems quickly become your own as he sweeps them under the rug” 

“So then, what do you plan on doing with us” Nat asked

“That, I am yet to decide. I would very much like to see how important it is to Odin that my sister takes the throne. How far and long will he search for her? Is he truly that desperate?” 

“Wouldn’t bet on it” Hope smirked - they were all well aware of Odin’s attitude 

“I suggest you make yourselves comfortable then” Hela responded haughtily 

“What about the headless creatures that took us?” Alina asked

“Headless?” Nat responded 

Hela merely glanced at her in apathy. 

“The headless monks? They are demons actually. Able to move between realms due to their harnessing of dark energy” Hela shrugged as if this should be common knowledge 

“And why was Niflheim attacking Vanaheim?” Alina questioned further 

“That? Merely a tell. I was under the impression you were still on Asgard. The demons spell was meant to block your communications with other worlds. Simply a test to see what action you would take” 

“I was not on Asgard” Alina responded 

“Yes well I know that now. It truly did work out in my favour however” Hela rolled her eyes

“But then -” 

Hela cut her off. 

“I have matters to attend to” 

At this, she simply meandered out of the cave, across the foggy river at the mouth of it and disappeared into the fog. Alina tried to pull her hand through the chains to no avail. The collar around her neck was still preventing her magic use and the chains were too tight to budge. 

“Well, your sister is fun” Nat commented 

Alina rolled her eyes in response. 

“I cant believe Odin lied. Do you think Loki and Thor know?” Hope asked 

“I can. And I seriously doubt it” Alina responded, glancing at her friends. They needed to get out of here and soon. As she had glanced across to Hope, it registered that she was still in her Wasp outfit. 

“Hope, can you shrink?” Alina hissed quietly 

“I can’t reach my wrist to do it” she replied, shaking her head as she gestured to the control panel on her wrist. 

“Nat, if you can swing far enough you might be able to catch Hope’s wrist with your foot” Alina said in a hushed tone. 

Nat simply nodded and began to swing side to side to gain momentum. The first couple of tries were failures as she missed either Hope’s wrist entirely or hit it in the wrong place. Finally, she managed to connect with the panel with the tip of her boot and Hope immediately shrank out of her chains. Re emerging, she stretched her wrists with a grin. 

“Us now!” Okoye whispered 

Hope set about freeing them from their chains as quickly and quietly as she could, making sure the chains didn’t rattle too loudly as they fell free. This left only one problem, Alina’s collar. 

She tugged at it, annoyed as Nat picked up Dragonfang which had been tossed in the corner of the cave. 

“Stay still” she hissed as she climbed onto Alina’s back and then shoulders   
“Is that really necessary?” Okoye asked, picking up her spear 

“I need a bit of elevation” Nat grinned down, using the tip of the sword as a screwdriver as she picked at the opening on the collar. A few minutes later, it made a bright beep sound and released. Alina snapped it as she placed it on the ground and kicked it gently into the corner. 

“What now?” Hope asked 

“I can’t get us out of here using my magic. We have to get out of the Hel part of Niflheim before I can try teleport us” Alina nodded 

“Got a map?” Nat asked 

Alina laughed a little in response. 

“Stay close and watch out. DO NOT let anything grab onto you - demons can suck your soul. We just have to get into the more regular parts of Niflheim and then I can get us the hell out of here” 

“Cool family you’ve got” Hope teased 

“You know I always wanted a sister” Alina smirked as they made their way over the little stone bridge. Looking down, the water was swirling mist with deep howling emitting from it. 

“Not as good as you imagined it?” Okoye asked 

“I had a distinctly different image in my head” Alina replied, glancing around as they reached the other side of the bridge before continuing. 

Making their way out of the cave, they saw they were on the edge of a cliff which pointed outwards in a peak, matching the cliff on the opposite side which also pointed outwards as if they were reaching for one another. It was snowy and foggy but on the other side they could make out pillars of an entrance way. 

Nearing the edge, they peered over. It was a drastic drop downwards to which they could not see the bottom due to the swirling grey fog. The women glanced to one another. Their end was a dead end, with what seemed to be only their cave. They had no choice but to jump. 

“Just like old times” Nat said 

“What exactly does that mean?” Hope asked 

“Im from Russia - or I was” Nat replied, running full tilt at the edge and jumping, rolling neatly onto the other side. Hope merely shrank down and flew across, appearing next to Nat on the other side. Alina nodded to Okoye. Okoye ran at her and Alina activated the powerstone and boosted her to the other side with such force she tumbled into Natasha. Finally, Alina simply replaced the gap with a golden bridge of light and walked across. 

“And you couldn’t have done that to begin with?” Nat asked 

“You didn’t give me the chance” Alina smirked, referring to her neat flip 

Cautiously, they approached the pillars and saw that there was movement inside. Strangely enough it resembled a marketplace from what they could see. 

“Why do demons need to shop?” Okoye questioned 

“They’re not trading your standy home made soaps… They’re trading souls” Alina replied as she recalled what she knew about Hel. 

“What? How?!” Hope asked

“In Hel, there are classes of demons. If you end up in Hel when you die, you start as the lowest class of soul and are traded between higher class demons who use you and torture you. This can happen for eternity - or a higher class of demon may take a liking to you and make you a demon too. These demons classes range from lower class duties such as nightmares to guiding souls to representing sins” Alina shrugged 

“Hold up one second is this where I am going to go when I die?” Nat asked 

Alina shook her head. 

“Hel and Valhalla only exists for those at the top of Yggdrasil. So, for Asgardians and Vanir essentially.” Alina replied 

“So what of Humans?” Okoye asked 

“Dont know - I assume some form of one religion in our world somewhere comes true. Since, that is the case with the Asgards and Vanir” 

“What about Celestials?” Hope asked 

Alina shrugged. 

“Dunno - not really anyway. When I died I never quite got the full way. I was stopped at like a midway point I guess and offered the reconsideration” 

“Must be weird for Asgardians to know what happens when they die” Nat said thoughtfully 

“A curse and a blessing - But anyway, we need to get through that market” Alina responded 

“How are we going to do that? We’re not demons nor lost souls” Okoye pointed out 

“I could shrink” Hope offered 

Alina shook her head. 

“They would still notice you”

The falling snow was starting to gather at their feet as they considered their issue.

“Stand behind me” Alina finally said. 

As they did so, Nat asked the question on their minds. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked 

“Some of Loki’s and Frigga’s magic allows them to shapeshift at will - it’s the same magic which controls the ability to clone oneself. I may… have been practicing without their knowledge with Strange in my down time.” 

“How’s that gonna help us?” Hope asked

“Because, I can project onto you guys. Give you the aura of a demon in their eyes” 

“Lets just get this done with” Okoye nodded as they moved forward between the pillars 

Weirdly once inside it was colder than it was simply standing in the snow. It was damp and dark and demons moved around in droves, bartering and hissing. The women all tensed up as they passed through; demons brushing their shoulders and hissing in languages they could not understand. At the front, Alina threw all her concentration into keeping them covered. To the demons around them, they would simply look like any other demon. Not mortals. Behind her, the other 3 flinched as souls would howl or scream or beg as they were dragged away. It wasn’t pleasant. It was clear however which demons held higher ranking. Once on the other side, they reached a stone courtyard, which while foggy, had no snow. It was broken down and overgrown with chipped stone and roots of trees pushing the paving out from under them. As they made their way through the empty courtyard, Hela’s voice sounded from inside the marketplace. 

“WHERE ARE MY PRISONERS!” She screeched 

The woman all glanced to one another. 

“Run” Alina mouthed as they made a break for it, dodging the tree roots which seemed intent on tripping them up and darting out the gates into the desolate, rocky landscape which was dressed in fog and cloud. As they ran, directionless, Demons began to tag onto their tails. Grabbing at their ankles and hissing and cackling they attempted to stop their progress. Nat would shoot down at them whilst Okoye and Alina used their respective weapons to cut off their hands. One managed to catch Hope’s ankle and send her flying over, crawling on top of her as she attempted to throw them off. Alina dragged her to her feet as they kept running. Hela soon joined the chase, riding a giant black wolf which was quickly catching them. Just as it seemed that they were gonners, the wolf and demons skidded to a halt. Alina glanced back and they all slowed down to look behind them. Hela had not progressed further and instead, paced up and down on her wolf, demons all around her. 

Alina raised an eyebrow and the goddess sneered at her. 

“It seems you have made your escape this time, darling sister” 

“What? You don’t want to come to Niflheim?” Alina smirked, well aware that Hela could not cross out of Hel. 

“No matter” she grinned, gesturing behind her. 

Out of the mist appeared the headless monks, their hooded figures casting an eerie feeling on the four women. 

“Time to go” Alina hissed, grabbing out so that they were all holding onto one another 

One monk lunged for them and Alina activated her magic, disappearing in a flash of blue and gold light. In the travel, it seemed a monk had managed to latch onto Nat as she kicked and fought him off. Alina drew her sword as they appeared on solid ground again. 

“NAT! DUCK!” she yelled. 

Nat quickly dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as Alina plunged dragonfang into the chest of the headless monk who had lunged forward at Natasha. His hood slipped off, revealing the horrible stump where the head should be; before what was left of his body collapsed neck first into the ground. Alina stood panting as Nat got to her feet and the other 2 woman looked down at the headless body with a grimace. 

“I really do not see why we bother with plans for her at all anymore” Fandral’s voice rang out from behind them. 

The woman all whipped around to see they were standing in Asgard’s throne room. In front of them; the warriors 3, Loki, Thor, Strange, Tony, Steve, Bucky and Clint. As well as Frigga and Odin who had clearly been in discussion with Freyr, Surtr and Heimdall. 

“Oh, hey fancy seeing you here” Alina quipped as she resheathed Dragonfang over her back and wiped the blood from her temple 

“Lady Alina! We thought you dead” Freyr called out

“Typical” Alina, Nat, Hope and Okoye all said in unison, a roll of their eyes almost perfectly timed 

“Where in the hel have you been!” Volstagg called out 

“Hel - Ironically enough” Alina replied dryly. 

She glanced to Odin and noticed him shift uncomfortably. 

“No wonder I could not see you” Heimdall mused 

“Thanks for the help by the way” Nat inputted 

“Doesn’t seem like you needed it” Sif smirked

“On second thought” Alina shrugged wickedly 

Freyr quickly approached, bowing deeply and kissing Alina’s hand before kissing the other three women’s hands as well. They all glanced to one another in confusion. 

“Lady Alina. Vanaheim thanks you and your valiant warriors. If it were not for you we surely would have lost to the guerrilla attack that was Niflheim’s war against our people” 

“You and your people are under my protection” Alina replied simply 

“With knowing you’re safe and well - I can now return to my home once again to help rebuild what the war has destroyed” 

Alina nodded and waved him away with a small smile. Next, Surtr approached and simply nodded his fiery head at her before moving past her. She rolled her eyes at the ceiling as he moved through the doors. 

“It seems I have made my allegiance to the right person” he said simply, before melting into the ground and disappearing in a crack of fire.

This left just the Asgardian’s and Midgardian’s in the large echoey throne room. 

“We’re not inviting your sister to the wedding” Alina finally said, her voice echoing off the marble floors. 

“What?” Thor asked 

Alina looked pointedly at Odin. He said nothing. The other’s all glanced at him as well, wondering what this probing meant. 

“Your crazy, murderous sister. Black hair? Big fuck off wolf? Super bitter about Odin imprisoning her in Hel for eternity?” she probed 

“Yeah she’s SUPER pissed” Nat added and Okoye nudged for her to shut the hell up. Royal family dramas were her speciality after all. 

“Father?” Loki asked in confusion 

Frigga sighed. 

“You have an older sister” she said in the quiet 

“Hela. Goddess of Death. Odin’s first born and rightful heir to the throne” Alina nodded 

“Ohhhhhhhhh and I thought the Avenger’s family business was fucked up” Tony smirked

“Tony” Steve warned

“Is this true?” Thor asked 

“Yes. You have a sister. I was betrothed to another woman - not one whom I loved but she birthed me a child. A daughter, before she passed. Hela, my first born, reigned by my side as we conquered the nine realms. Until her blood lust grew too large and her vision for war too wide for me to contain. She began to go on murderous sprees without reason or permission. So, in fear of what she could do and her power, I imprisoned her in Hel. Trapped for eternity” he said finally 

“And she’s not happy that the throne will not be passed onto her” Alina sighed 

“Is that why Niflheim attack Vanaheim?” Hogun asked 

Alina sighed and crossed her arms. 

“Yes. Well, yes and no. Hela influenced them to do so - being unable to do it herself with anyone in Hel. She was under the impression I still resided on Asgard after our visit and was using it to see who was in power” Alina shrugged 

“And of those headless creatures?” Fandral asked 

“Demons. Able to harness dark energy to travel between realms” Alina replied 

“Well, a tragedy perhaps but Niflheim’s war on Vanaheim has made the realms respect you even more as a leader” Odin added 

“Don’t think that gets ya out of lying about your other child” Clint replied 

Odin glared at him and Frigga sighed. 

“Hurts, being lied to, doesn’t it” Loki glanced at Thor 

“Your sister seems to think that Odin likes to cover things up” Alina smiled sweetly 

“Can testify” Loki smirked 

“Is she a threat?” Thor asked 

“No. She cannot escape Hel.”

“But clearly she can send others” Sif added 

“Eh - dealable” Alina shrugged 

“Wanna reconsider the wedding?” Hope grinned 

“Seriously, I imagined having a sister somewhat differently” Alina replied 

“Vanaheim owes you a debt” Hogun’s voice rang out 

“Hardly” Alina replied evenly 

“You saved our people from the grips of Niflheim demons - We will forever be in your favour”

“Right. Well, how long have we been gone?” Alina asked 

“2 days” Bucky replied 

“Phew. You can still marry into a family of crazies!” Okoye replied sarcastically, looking around her. Asgard truly was glorious. 

 

Alina rolled her eyes. 

“Can we just go home? And if any of these headless assholes appear again I WILL be killing them” she responded 

“A fucking men to that” Nat grinned 

“Good hens night then?” Clint offered 

“Best one I’ve been to so far” Hope replied 

“How many have you been to?” Tony asked 

“Just one” 

“Explains A LOT then” Bucky smirked 

“How about yours?” Alina asked 

“Tony has only just sobered up” Steve responded 

Alina smirked. 

“Perhaps our peril saved you from something after all” She winked as Tony rolled his eyes at her. 

Gently, Loki wrapped his arm around her waist and shook his head.

“Im never letting you go out with Natasha ever again” 

“HEY! It was your sister’s fault not mine” Nat defended herself, punching Loki in the shoulder 

“By extension then, it was Odin’s fault” Alina replied as they walked towards the bifrost 

“I can accept that” Loki smirked 

“Let’s just go” 

// 

Back home, Pepper, Jane and Darcy were enthralled to hear of what had happened to the rest of their party. Loki and Thor in particular listened intently as the four women retold the story of where they ended up and what had happened in Hel. They knew nothing about this sister of theirs and 4 days out from the wedding was no time to be addressing it. It could wait - but they were curious. If Odin lied about this, what else had he lied about? What had he done prior to their knowledge? Both brother’s knew it would be important to uncover the truth before anyone else took the throne as it could affect Asgard for centuries to come.

“So, what’s it feel like having a sister?” Loki asked Alina as they meandered down the hallway towards his room 

“I could ask you the same question” she replied with a raised eyebrow

“Hey, I haven’t met her” 

Alina shrugged. 

“As you’d expect a blood thirsty, thrown out, cursed older sister to be. Bet she’d still steal my clothes though”

Loki chuckled as he pulled the door knob and let her into the room. 

“We will have to address it however” he nodded 

“Yeah I know. Just not now. Odin truly is keen on me taking that throne isn’t he” Alina sighed 

Loki smiled at her. It was a mixture of sadness, pride and love. 

“Like it or not, miss Everton, you are a beacon of hope to the nine realms.” 

She shook her head as she picked up a shirt from the ground and tossed it on the bed. 

“Silly really” 

“Not particularly. The Celestials were gods above gods - even Asgardian’s looked up to and worshipped them. That, the Infinity Stones, your sacrifice to Thanos, it all makes a very convincing argument for you to take the Throne at the top of Yggdrasil” 

“I really wish Thor would change his mind. I have little desire to rule” she smiled softly 

“Ali, it has been centuries since Muspelheim and Asgard have been in allegiance. The politics are lost on you but it is a massive step that even the Allfather himself could not make. You are fit to rule and continue to prove yourself so” 

Alina sat down on the bed, bouncing a bit before settling due to it’s plushness. She leant back on her hands and looked up at him across the room.

“That doesn’t mean I have any desire to rule Loki. I can barely fathom living for centuries let alone spending those ruling 9 different worlds. 98% of the issues in them I had no part in - I wasn’t even alive for.” 

“Take some time on it. There are still hundreds of years before Odin would even consider relinquishing the throne anyway. Other options may arise” 

She looked at him pointedly. 

“He seems very set that it will be me to take over” 

Loki sighed as he sat down next to her and took her hand. She leant her head on his shoulder and felt him breathe deeply. 

“I cannot lie to you Ali. He is. You are the perfect candidate - even I can see that. A Celestial ruling Asgard would be an occurance of legends. For the moment, you are the only individual even remotely suited to the throne. The other realms respect you, you are a formidable warrior, an exceptional sorcerer, you have already proven your worth in laying down your life not just for the 9 realms but the universe at large, you possess allies throughout the universe and you are a level headed and calm leader” 

“Thanks Loki but the compliments are kind of backhanded when they’re simply encouraging me to take a throne that isnt even mine” 

“You think my sister should rule?” he smiled 

She laughed out in the quiet of the night. 

“No. She’s insane. But I am not part of the royal family even remotely.” 

“I’ve already told you why that matters not. I think we would rather the Goddess of Life ruling over the Goddess of Death” 

“Odin seems to starting a collection” Alina smirked 

Loki laughed and kissed her hair as she sighed. 3 years ago this was not how she imagined her life going - not even remotely. 

“Sometimes I wish none of this happened” she sighed 

Loki looked down at her in concern. 

“You are a respected and powerful goddess and future queen?” 

“Exactly. Ya know, if none of this happened my Celestial heritage never would’ve been triggered, I would have just lived my life out on Earth until I died at 80 or something. No immortality, no ruling of universal objects, no nothing” she shook her head

“That was not your path. The soul stone would’ve lead us to you at some point regardless” 

Gently, she wrapped her arms around him and evened out her slightly anxious breathing. 

“Take some time. Think about it. You have hundreds of years” Loki smiled. He thought about his old desire for the throne, and looking back on it, realised how missguided he had been. Seeing the stress it was putting Alina through made him wish there was a way for her to avoid it but even he knew that would be hard. Another legitimate contender was unlikely to appear anytime soon and the other realms already had a favoritism towards her. 

“Im gonna go for a shower” she murmured under her breath

“Mind if I join you?” Loki smirked 

She looked up at him, a glint of mischief in her eyes. 

“Why of course, my prince” she said with fake sincerity, taking his hand as she stood and lead him to the bathroom.


	34. Wedding

The night before the wedding and they were all packed to head out to Clint’s farm bright and early the next morning. Clint, Nat, Laura, Pepper and Frigga were already there spending the afternoon and evening decorating and transporting over the dresses and flowers, along with other miscellaneous items. Loki and Thor were back on Asgard, per custom Loki was not allowed to see Alina until the ceremony and they were organising the warriors three and Heimdall to come down to Midgard to attend the wedding. As such, she was stretched over an arm chair of the tower’s living room with Strange, Bucky, Steve, Sam and Tony. Bruce was in the lab and Peter had gone home for the evening whilst Rhodey had some loose ends to tie up with the New York State Department. Both Hope and Scott were on an alleged date night, at Nat’s suggestion.

“So how does it feel to be the first out of us to get married?” Tony smirked 

“Clint’s married” she pointed out, turning her head from it’s position hanging over the arm of her chair. 

“Is he here right now? Answer the question” 

Alina sighed. 

“Well, Peter is too young, Bucky and Steve are too old, you keep nearly dying every 6 months, Strange has a crazy lifestyle, magic powers and several life binding oaths to keep and Sam… well Sam’s just unlucky”

“Says the woman who had a universal prophecy and literally died” Strange snarked 

“And has ‘magic powers’ and nearly dies every 6 months and has a crazy lifestyle” Stark continued 

“Crazy sister too” Steve nodded 

“Great” Alina responded, hoisting herself out of the chair and going to the fridge.

“You don’t sound too excited” Sam pointed out

She looked up from pouring her juice and stopped, placing the container down on the counter followed by both her hands. 

“I just found out not only am I immortal, but I am expected to take the throne over 9 realms and now have a crazy sister who is SUPER not happy about it. One might say I am the TINIEST bit stressed” 

 

“Hey it’s algood we’ll deal with it” Tony shrugged

“But you won’t. You’ll be dead by the time ‘dealing with it’ becomes apparent. All of you will” she nodded 

“Welllllll…. I mean not Steve and I” Bucky nodded, getting up and placing a hand on her shoulder. She raised a quietly questioning eyebrow at him. 

“Super soldier serum - remember?” Steve smiled 

“You are immortal?” 

“No. To an extent. Think of our aging as super slowed. We’ve probably got another 400 years in us” Bucky laughed 

“Oh joy - guess I’ll be housing you on Asgard at which point?” Alina smiled 

“If you’ve got the room” Steve winked 

“And I shall make thee my jester” she gestured grandly 

“Not too off the mark for tinkerbell” Sam smirked, nodding at Bucky 

“I hate you” Bucky replied 

“Okay Jester” 

“I will be making those jokes at your funeral” 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way” Sam winked back

Alina took a sip of her juice, glancing between the two men and then exchanging a smile with Steve. They both found it hilarious when Sam and Bucky bickered.

“Im gonna create an immortality juice. I wanna be alive to see the annoyed look on your face when you take the most powerful position in the nine realms” Tony smirked 

“I’d say. Got any spells?” Sam smirked at Stephen 

“Doesn’t work like that” he scoffed back

“Hey here’s a thought though. If you’re the time stone’s guardian and by extension, Alina’s guardian, what happens when you die? Since she is going to outlive you” Tony mused 

Strange paused. He genuinely had not considered this option. They had only realised the extent of Alina’s apparent immortality a week or two back. 

“I don’t know” he finally admitted 

Steve rolled his eyes and passed Tony a 20 dollar note. Stephen raised an eyebrow at them, much to Sam and Bucky’s amusement. 

“They had a bet on who could get you to admit you didn’t know something first” Bucky said from the kitchen 

“That explains the constant, inescapable questions” Strange remarked dryly, before giving Alina a small smile. He noticed she was now off in her own thoughts about his potential future. 

“Hey hold up” Stark said pointedly 

“What now?” Sam asked 

“Can’t she just use the time stone to go and see what happens to the Doctor?” 

Strange sighed loudly. 

“No. She could see millions of potential futures but not the specific one that might happen. The stone cannot tell her what actions I or anyone else might take in order to shift future events” 

“Buuuut you might not die” Bucky pointed out 

“Im still mortal and human despite my skills” 

“Yes but the stones do give their guardians potential foot holds” Alina nodded. 

“So you’re saying I may be immortal as long as you wield the time stone?” Strange asked, furrowing his brow 

“Potentially. We won’t know until time passes. They are cosmic entities and sentient. And, you are connected to the time stone of all of them” She shrugged, going back to drinking her juice

“Joy” he responded dryly 

“Welcome to my world” Alina smirked back at him 

“Once question remains however” Tony began

Alina groaned and theatrically banged her head on the fridge before making eye contact with Bucky beside her in a look which essentially may have well screamed “just kill me”. 

“Which one of us are ya going to sleep with?” he continued 

“Tony!” Steve chided 

“Looks like Caps out already” Stark grinned 

“What are you going on about twinkle toes?” Alina asked, crossing her arms as she shot an evaluating look at him across the kitchen counter top

“You’re getting married tomorrow. Tis but tradition to get it while you can” Stark smirked back 

“I don’t know where you’re living in which that’s a tradition” Alina replied 

“Ancient Vikings did it” 

“Im sorry but its 2018?”

“Yeah but the Viking’s followed Asgardian culture, therefore….” 

“Oh my god no. Would you let Pepper sleep with another man the night before your wedding?” 

“Depends can I sleep with another woman?”

“You are too much” 

“Im calling Clint” Stark said, flicking up a blue hologram with Clint’s face on it 

Strange had his head in his hand as he shook it in desperation at Tony’s antics. The call rang a few times before Clint picked up. 

“What’s up?” he said

“Is that Tony?” Nat’s voice rang out in the background 

“We have a question” Tony continued

“What did you do?” Pepper’s voice sounded 

“Nothing! Damn! Is Frigga there?” 

“Yes… why?” Clint answered 

“Well, we were wondering -” 

“YOU” Strange said pointedly 

“Yeah whatever. Anyway, what’s Asgardian custom surrounding the night before the wedding?” 

There was a pause before Frigga’s voice came through. 

“In which way, Mr Stark?” 

“Like ok you know how the Viking’s on earth followed asgardian tradition because they saw you guys as like gods?” 

“Yes, that is correct” 

“Well, they had a tradition that the bride would sleep with other men the night before her wedding as a final hoorah before her betrothal - is that still an Asgardian thing?” 

They could practically hear the smirk dripping in Tony’s voice. 

“Tony I swear to god” Nat’s voice rang out 

“Let the lady answer” 

“Well…. The Midgardian Vikings did indeed follow that tradition due to it being Asgardian…” Frigga began 

“Well there we go! Alina the choice is yours. Think of it like the bachelor… but with more, magic” 

“BUT the tradition has fallen out of commonality in Asgard” Frigga finished 

“But what I am hearing is that Loki TECHNICALLY couldn’t kill any of us for doing it” 

“Stark, do you want to be thrown back through that window” Alina said pointedly, nodding to the glass wall to floor window behind him 

“Worth it”

“Like I’d choose you anyway” she muttered 

Tony hung up and looked at her. 

“Excuse me” he said in mock offence

She raised an eyebrow. 

“If I had to choose it wouldn’t be you” 

“Your loss. I’m easily the best here” he replied, checking his nails and lounging back in the sofa

She shrugged and put the juice back in the fridge. 

“Hold on. If it’s not me then that means you have someone in mind!” He all but jumped from his seat 

“No, it just means it wouldn’t be you first” 

“Who would it be first? Surely not Rogers” 

Alina rolled her eyes. 

“Stark, I understand this is a hit to your very fragile ego but you’re getting nowhere” 

“Seriously!? Rogers over me!?” 

Steve was smirking at the floor in the corner. 

“I didn’t say that. I just said you wouldn’t be my first pick” 

“Would you pick me over Rogers then?” he continued 

She just smirked at him and crossed her arms. Truthfully, she never really had thought about it but it was funny simply to egg him on into thinking that she did have an answer. 

“Is it Barnes? I mean I see the appeal of the arm but come on!” 

Alina looked Bucky up and down and then pursed her lips. 

“I’d pick Bucky over you” she smirked 

Again, not something she had thought about but seeing Stark’s ego fall into distress was the most entertainment she had had in days.

“SERIOUSLY!? HES LITERALLY 100!” 

“What can I say, I like older men” she grinned 

“Isn’t Loki younger than you?” Sam pointed out 

“I mean by technicality yes, but by all means he has lived longer therefore he’s older in my mind” she shrugged 

“Tell me what you like in bed and I bet I could do it better than anyone here” Stark grinned 

“Doubt it” 

 

“WHY” 

“Well, metal arm, super soldier, literal sorcerer….” she trailed off with a shrug 

“Doesn’t equal experience” 

“I’d bet on it” she replied dryly 

“Well, there’s only one way to sort this out. Who’s first?” 

“Im not sleeping with any of you” she rolled her eyes 

“We’ll never know the answer otherwise!” 

“That is not an answer I am endeavouring to find out” 

 

“Come on even I wanna know if Cap is any good in the bedroom” Stark moaned 

“Well there’s plenty of bedrooms and he’s right there” Alina nodded 

Steve went pink. Sam and Bucky hid their laughter in deep smirks and Strange simply wore his on his face as he gave Alina a appreciative nod. It wasn’t often they got Tony on the back burner like this; his face one of exasperated annoyance. 

“I suddenly no longer need that answer” he replied 

“What!? But you were so keen a minute ago” Alina teased 

“Ya know what Everton” Stark pointed as she laughed at him.

“Right well, I am going to bed. If you two are going to bone then keep it down” she winked, causing Steve’s blush to deepen and Tony’s eyeroll to go further towards the ceiling. 

“YOUR LOSS” he yelled after her. 

She pulled the finger over her shoulder before disappearing down the hallway. 

//

The morning of the wedding they were up bright and early at 6:30 am, ready and in the jet by 7. 

Scott had spent that half an hour bugging Alina about the wedding, to which even Fury had told him to shut the hell up. 

“Are you nervous now?” he asked, 20 minutes into the flight 

“Stooooopp!” Peter defended 

“You’re starting to make me” Alina grimaced 

“You know the solution to that?” Stark grinned 

“Im not getting drunk on my wedding day at 8am” 

He shrugged in response and returned to piloting the jet

As soon as they arrived at the farm, Alina was dragged from the jet by Laura and Pepper and into a room with them, Nat, Frigga, Lila, Darcy and Jane. 

“Sit” Nat commanded. 

“Yes ma’am” Alina smiled as Pepper handed her champagne and Nat started styling her hair into the waves that were to fall over one shoulder. As the other girls were getting dressed, Pepper and Frigga did their makeup, including Lila’s who was wearing a little golden dress and had her dirty blonde hair styled in curls which had been patiently done by Nat earlier. 

“Auntie Ali - are you excited to be marrying a magician?” Lila asked from the bed whilst she sipped on her juice 

“Yes Im very excited” 

“Does this mean you’re gonna be a queen?” she pressed 

Alina paused. 

“It indeed does” Frigga answered for her as Nat brushed out her brows. 

Lila hugged her tightly and Alina smiled. Everything had finally come to it’s peace. The threats were but distant memories, Hela was trapped in Hel and Thanos was long gone. She was finally marrying Loki after months and months of waiting and she had her family around her. Nat smiled at her as she made distant eye contact, recognising the peaceful look on the sorcerers face. They had been through so much after all, it was only right they all got the peace they deserved in the end - despite it being a strange thought. 

“Done” Nat smiled as they admired her handy work in the mirror and Alina stood up, quickly donning her dress and winking at Lila who was enthralled at her princess like look. There was a rap on the door and Clint poked his head in, immediately stopping at the sight of Alina. 

“Wow you almost look as good as Laura did” he smirked

“Lucky me” Alina smiled back

“You ready?” Nat asked from her green dress as she slipped out of the room, dodging past Clint. 

Alina nodded, although there was a feeling of discomfort there. A lot weighed on her mind still, Asgard, her troubles since exiting the Quantum Realm, the 9 realms and it’s unusual wars that had been cropping up, even Hel and Hela. She could not shake the horribly weighted feeling that dressed her shoulders and travelled into her stomach. It was so much to take in. Thankfully, the wedding and its planning had gone perfectly and she gently positioned herself on Clint’s arm on the porch of the farm house. They began to walk. Through the field, past the barn to the edge of the forest where she stood weightly. Glancing up at Clint every few seconds out of nervousness she could only put down to getting married. All her time being a scientist, an agent, even with the powers she possessed, could not match to the feeling in her stomach she got as everyone turned to look at her. In any other circumstance she would’ve said it was distress, instinct, but here as everyone smiled down at her she remembered a lot of the nervousness people described in getting married. 

“Stay calm kid” Clint whispered in her ear as they progressed 

It was beautiful. A picture perfect ceremony with floating lanterns and white bow tied chairs. She could’ve sworn Tony was crying as she joined Loki at the altar. He slipped his hand gently into hers, almost too gently for what she knew of the god but she took it gratefully, smiling softly up at him. Even she admitted her attitude had become far more gentle than she had ever known it to be, over the past few months. It was part of the reason she did not see herself fit to lead Asgard at all. She had become too soft in her coming out from the Quantum Realm - she was not the agent nor the scientist she knew before. Standing on the altar at this perfect ceremony, next to Loki, was all she wanted anymore. 

Pepper, Jane and Darcy were practically in tears behind her whilst Hope and Nat held them back. Tony began to read the ceremony proceedings as the Asgardian’s and Midgardian’s smiled up at them. Even Odin himself looked on teary eyed. 

“Loki, do you take Alina to be your wife?” Stark asked 

Faintly, Alina could’ve sworn she heard her own name being called.   
“Alina…. Alina… Alina!” 

She pushed it away. 

“And Alina, do you take Loki to be your husband?” 

She looked up at Loki, her eyes glazed with tears of happiness.

“Alina. Alina. Cmon!” the familiar voice sounded again 

The wedding shattered into mirrors. Fractals bouncing off one another as a confident “I do” came out of her mouth, the Loki in front of her frozen into the scene. 

“I do” 

“You do what? Alina?” the voice rang out again

She blinked slowly at the frozen scene in front of her. The blink itself seemed to take a minute, fading into blackness and then opening into light once again. When she did open, she saw Scott above her. 

She gasped loudly, her breath verging on a scream. 

“WOAH WOAH WOAH! IM THE GOOD GUY! You’ve been stabbed! You’re bleeding out, I dont know how long you’ve been here but you need to let me help you!” he all but yelled 

She crawled backwards as much as she could, looking around in terror at the bouncing fractals of the Quantum Realm surrounding her. He hastily attatched a belt to her clandestine outfit designed by Peter and picked her up, supporting her from under her shoulders. 

“We’re going big” he said to an earpiece

With a swift movement, he hit the button to the belt he had put on her, and then hit his own. She could barely feel the blood dripping out of her from the shock of the change of tone. This had to be a fever dream. Had she passed out at the wedding? Had Hela come for her? Had Strange fucked up somehow?

She barely got time to process these things as she gasped and stumbled forward on solid, normal coloured ground. 

“Ali!” Bucky smiled, before seeing the blood stained wound 

“We need to get her into surgery asap” Strange commanded as he looked to herself and Scott who was still holding her up. Tony and Steve moved towards her to grab her but were shocked to see her look of utter terror as she backed away with as much haste as she could muster. The bleeding was bad and she needed to have the wound closed up ASAP.

“Alina, I know what ever you saw in there must’ve been traumatic and a scary time but you need to let us help you” Hope said firmly 

Alina could not make out anything but incomprehensible noises as she choked on her own blood and the shock of the words she was trying to make out. Tears sprang to her eyes as her chest tightened, a horrible electric feeling coursing through it. She stumbled backwards into a portable table with equipment set on it, rolling it backwards with her. 

“Ali” Loki took a few steps forward, his hands slightly outstretched in a peacekeeping nature 

“We were meant to get married” she choked out, her hands violently shaking as she stared at him with wide glazed eyes 

“And we’re going to. It’s okay” he said gently 

“It’s been months since we last heard from your astral projection, Alina what happened?” Banner asked 

Alina choked. What was happening? Her breathing was now not only shallow from her stab wound but also from the horrible panic attack that was looming. 

“Everyone back” Steve ordered 

“Hey.. Hey hey hey. It’s okay” Tony said as he slowly made a move forward

She began to sob a little, her brain not able to comprehend where she was or why. 

“What do you m.. mean months?” she asked 

“Your last Astral projection was with Strange before you disappeared… Alina, that was 7 months ago” Nat answered 

The whole room had slowed down around her. She could hear her own heart beating far more rapidly than it should as it smashed against her ribcage. Her breathing felt forced in a way that caused her chest to cave. 

“No. No. No I was.. I was I mean I got married. I was getting married - you were all, and there was, it.. The in Hel” she stumbled out 

Hank took a few steps forward behind Stark.

“Time and Space has no linear concept in the Quantum Realm… 7 months here may have merely been a half hour for you in there” 

“NO! But I got married! I, we were on Asgard and I you were all!”   
“Alina. I just found you bleeding out from a stab wound in the Quantum Realm. You were laid flat down with your eyes closed” Scott added in 

Tony had reached her by now, standing right in front of her. Clint had now appeared on his shoulder, concern drenching his features.

“We need to get her into surgery” Strange urged as he eyed the wound 

“No” she mustered, her eyes still wide in terror 

“The Quantum Realm.. It can sometimes affect your brain.. .as well as your molecular structure. It is possible due to your open wound that you were… perhaps… hallucinating” Janet said gently 

The choking sound Alina made was horrible. A scream only being stopped by the vomit and blood blocking her throat. Clint quickly slipped under Tony’s arm and grabbed onto Alina, pulling her into a tight hug as she melted into him, sobbing and shaking. She dug her fingernails into the fabric clinging to his back, desperately trying to identify the real and he shifted her slightly as he looked at the other Avengers. His face was that of rage but also a deep sadness. 

“ER” Strange warned again

“No” Alina muttered into Clint’s chest, “I dont want.. I dont even know I cant” she stuttered 

“Alina we’re operating on you. Im operating on you” Strange growled as Clint picked her up 

“Sorry kiddo - you’re going to be alright. I promise” 

“Clint no. Clint no. No I dont even know if this is, I dont” 

“Alina this IS your reality” Hank insisted 

“YOU SAID THAT LAST TIME!” She yelled. 

The whole room went silent. Stark, who understood PTSD more than anyone pitched in. 

“Alina. I know you’re scared it’s okay. We need to get your right before you can make a decision on this. Please. I wont let anything hurt you” he pleaded 

“No. Not again. Put me back in” she replied 

“Sedate her” Hank muttered 

“Im sorry” she heard as a needle was loosed into her neck and she promptly faded from consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha you thought I was really gonna get fluffy? Hell nah this is an angst fic and we are B A C K. Did you forget the name of this fic is "The Quantum Realm"? Welcome to heartbreak.


	35. Trauma

To say Loki was distressed was an understatement. Alina’s all but delirious reaction horrified him and worried the team. After stitching up her wound, the team were waiting in anxious silence for her to wake up from the anesthetic. 

“What do you think happened?” Banner said out of the heavy quiet

“It seems that… she has been hallucinating heavily. We don’t know enough about the Quantum Realm to know but I theorize that the high level of Quantum Energy combined with her weak state due to the open wound affected her brain’s molecular physiology - causing her to hallucinate heavily” Hank answered

 

“Might of been a way of coping too” Tony shrugged 

“She can’t of been bleeding out for 7 months though” Nat added 

“No, the Quantum Realm has no concept of time nor space. What is 30 minutes in there could be years out here. In her mind, she truly was living off somewhere else” 

“It would explain her distress upon snapping out of it” Janet said quietly 

“I can feel the panic in her magic, even now” Strange replied gravely 

“I think she married Loki… In her dream” Clint nodded from his seat beside Alina. 

“I wonder how long she thought she was living that life” Banner shook his head 

“Long enough to trigger a PTSD related panic attack” Stark murmured from his seat 

“What do we do? If the Quantum Energy has truly changed her brain formatting…” 

“No. I had scans done. It appears fine - nothing affected. It might’ve been whilst she was in there but not anymore” Strange inserted himself into the conversation once more

Sighing, Bucky walked over and placed his metal hand on Alina’s forehead, pushing her hair back. She immediately woke, grabbing onto his arm with force. Bucky froze, raising his other hand to signal the group not to react. 

“We have to stop Hela” she said 

“Alina, who’s Hela?” Thor asked 

“Your sister” Alina muttered 

Thor and Loki exchanged a glance. 

“Lady Alina… Hela is long dead. Killed by us and our father on a mission many a moon ago” Thor continued 

Alina’s face only went whiter. 

“Stop” Tony gestured to Thor

Steve made a move toward her and she sat up harshly, flinching back at both the pain from her abdomen and his sudden movement. 

“Woah” Bucky put his other hand out

She still had a hold of his metal wrist but did not let go. Right now, it’s cold nature was the only thing grounding her. 

“I don’t know where I am” she muttered, looking down at her lap

“You’re home” Scott said gently 

“I don’t have a home”

“Yes. You do. And it’s here. I promise you this is no illusion” Loki replied

She looked up from her lap, her eyebrows crinkled and her eyes teary and wide. 

“We were getting married you know. Everything was good. The 9 Realms were good, we were good…” 

“We’re still good” he replied, his voice hoarse 

She shook her head, conveying her numbness through the slow movements. 

“No, we’re not… I dont… I dont even know where I am. I dont even trust where I am.” 

“Hey it’s okay we can work on that” Clint said gently

“You should’ve left me in there” she looked back down 

“No” Loki hissed 

Tony glanced at him and cautiously shook his head. Now was not the time for theatrics or semantics. 

“You would’ve died” 

“I finally got the chance at happiness. We were all okay. Peace in our time. At least I would’ve died believing in that” she smiled through her tears 

Clint very gently took her hand. He was bravely swallowing back his own tears. He had a daughter, and the thought of her being put in this situation or anything even slightly akin to this hurt him. Alina may as well of been his daughter and to see this brokenness shattered his heart into pieces. Nat made eye contact with slightly parted lips. She knew Clint well enough to know his thoughts despite the brave face he was presenting. 

“You’ve still got that chance” Bucky murmured. He understood her very situation, perhaps with less magic involved but all the same.

“I dont want it” her shoulders crumpled in

Clint pulled her in for a hug. He didn’t care if she freaked out and stabbed him, the dad in him couldn’t help himself. She buried her face in his shoulder. At least Clint always felt like home no matter where she ended up. 

“Alina. Listen to me” Bucky placed a hand on the cradle “I thought I was living a life I wasn’t for years. I didn't know who was who or who to trust. Hell, even when I did I didn’t think I would have a shot at anything akin to happiness. I wasn’t even sure if this was…. If this was who I really was. I didn’t want it either. It seemed easier to just give up rather than to fight again, after so many fights. After all the odds were just stacked against me. But I did. And I’m here. And I have you, and a life, and a family and a chance.”

Steve looked to the ground in sadness. Bucky did not often talk about his feelings on his times as the Winter Soldier or the years of running which followed it. 

Alina slowly detached herself from Clint’s shoulder and looked at Bucky. 

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this. For what? A warm light for all mankind to share? I have always been a weapon. I was only kidding myself I wasn’t. I invite threats. My very powers betray me to pain. I don’t want this. I never wanted this but I thought maybe if I tried, if I took on the role it would work out. You know, I finally thought I was good. My guardianship of the stones were good. I was using them and bad things weren’t happening. I saved Clint’s kids. Protected the Nine Realms. Got married… almost” she shook her head as she choked up 

“Your mind created what you wanted to see. It gave you something realistic enough to believe, yet be what you wanted it to be all the same” Hank interjected 

“And what do I do now? I dont even trust myself to live. I dont want to. Not here. Not when it could all just fade away again. Im sick of being trouble, of being a threat, a sob story, an issue” 

“You are never an issue” Loki said sadly 

“You have to try” Steve murmured 

Alina glanced at him. 

“If you don’t, you may as well give up because all your life is going to be is miserable” 

“Steve!” Nat hissed 

Alina stared at him, her eyes hardening. 

“Dude” Sam muttered 

“I mean, he’s right” Rhodey agreed

Stark made a cut throat gesture at him, shaking his head. 

“What man? Im serious. Like sure you can think that. I ain’t taking that away from you it sounds like hell. But what are you gonna do? Just mope around? Do nothing? Be pathetic? What if this is real? What if it doesn’t fade away? Then what? You’ve just wasted time being miserable and useless. The Avengers were formed on hope. And yeah, so this universe is a figment of your imagination too? You try again.”

“Rhodey! Dude….” Sam shook his head 

“Uhhh incredibly traumatic life altering event and severe stab wound is not the time for a tough love pep talk” Clint growled 

“I can help” Strange said calmly 

“Just dont” Tony shook his head 

“No. I mean I can look into ancient magic. The Ancient One once sent me into different planes of reality. There must be a way to prove this one isn’t just inside her mind”

“See kid, would you trust it more then?” Bucky smiled softly 

Alina considered this heavily. Her whole body conveyed exhaustion as her shoulders curled forward and her face stayed expressionless. 

“It would be one less thing to deal with” she murmured, feeling the tightening in her chest again. Her whole life, all those memories of the past 7 months had felt so real. To her they had really happened. They were now memories she was required to forgo. She was back at square one of working out what had been real and what had been simply a dream. 

“Alina, after you and Strange’s astral projections disappeared, what happened? Do you know how you were stabbed?” Hope asked 

Alina furrowed her eyebrows. That seemed like such a long time ago that that had all happened. Just thinking about it was painful as she tried to determine when she had been hallucinating and when her experiences had been real. 

“Yes… I think so” she shifted, still holding onto Clint. She took a moment before explaining what had happened in that reality and in the reality of the evil!avengers and her consequent stabbing. She paused slightly as she got to the part where Tony put his armour through her stomach. She knew how hurt he would be by the thought and she was right. The look on his face was not just one of horror but of pain of the knowledge that that is how Alina had to perceive him.

“So by what you’ve described, after being stabbed you returned to the Quantum Realm and promptly lost consciousness and that was the beginning of the hallucinations” Hank nodded 

“I assume so” she said softly, looking down once more. 

“And what about the life you were living whilst hallucinating?” Pym asked curiously 

“That’s not important right now” Steve interjected sharply. 

They exchanged a look of annoyance but Pym quickly backed down after his daughter nudged him, shaking her head. 

“Cool outfit though” Sam tried 

Alina’s eyes widened, causing everyone to ready themselves. What had that triggered in her? Sam looked to Steve quickly with a anxious look. He had only been trying to disperse the situation. 

“Peter” she muttered 

“Quill? What’s he got to do with this?” Stark asked 

“No… Not Quill. Parker” 

“Who?” Nat asked 

“He… nothing” she trailed off. What if he didn’t exist here? After all she had only found him in her hallucinations - he may be nonexistent. 

“Ali…” 

“Just leave it” she shook her head, her voice sharp for the first time since waking. 

Gently, she tried to swing her legs over the edge of the cradle and nearly fell face first onto the ground. Clint had caught her whilst Bucky had immediately leapt forward to pull her back. The room was eerily quiet, there wasn’t really much to say. Not that they knew what to say to begin with. 

“Take it easy kid” Clint muttered 

Instead of her usual quip of a reply, she looked at him in silence. In truth, she didn’t know how to feel and what was legitimate to feel. Should she be heartbroken? She never did live that life after all, if it was indeed a hallucination. But it had felt so real. Did she have any right to be sad, hurt, angry? Confused, perhaps. But any of those other things? 

The coming days she was placed on rest and her thoughts consumed her as she remained confined to her room, with the exception of visits to the lab to have her stitches and molecular make up checked. She was well aware Pym was bursting with questions but had been put on a strict policy to leave her alone about it. The team were worried, to say the least. They couldn’t understand her extreme reaction - at least not fully. Other than detailing that she had been getting married, they were unaware of anything else that had gone on in the 7 months she was hallucinating up another life. 

“She’s not getting any better” Natasha said. 

It had been 2 weeks and Alina had barely spoken a word to them. From what they could gather, she was barely eating, nor leaving her room and when she did pass them in the hallways on her way to the lab she would either have her eyes fixed on the ground or simply make eye contact which suggested she wasn’t sleeping much either.

“Lady Alina is injured” 

“Thor her stab wound has wholly healed by now - for the most part anyway” Banner nodded 

“It’s PTSD” Stark’s voice rang out from the couch 

“What?” Loki asked. Alina had shut him out too, refusing him access from her room and blocking him with her magic. 

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s what people get when they go through something traumatic” Tony mumbled 

“Can we fix it?” Thor asked 

“It’s not that simple buddy. It’s not like a wound that can be stitched up or a flu you can treat with antibiotics. It’s not just about what happened while she was hallucinating - it’s about everything before” Tony answered

“What do you mean?” Sam queried gently 

“Think about it. She’s not even 30 Wilson and think about what she’s gone through. Has she ever really addressed it or did she just put on a brave face because we needed her to? It seems like her hallucination was happy, for the most part. Realistic, but happy. She probably tricked herself not only into the life she wanted but into letting go of all that past trauma. To be suddenly snapped out of that, to have that contentedness taken away from her…. To suddenly be slapped in the face with all the trauma and doubt she’s probably been avoiding… Im not surprised she’s reacting like this” 

“She is the most powerful being in the universe why would she doubt herself?” Thor mumbled through toast 

“Pointbreak you see her like that because that’s the life you’ve always known. Are we forgetting she literally died? And we NEVER addressed it. Or how about when her messed up celestial parents had her continue being the guardian of the most powerful objects in the universe? What about when we ALL lied to her? When her parents lied to her? When she rewatched them die? When she was tortured for months? When she took the blame for Sam’s injury?” 

Rhodey looked down at this, ashamed of the way he had acted. 

“She’s in pain” Steve said simply 

Bucky shook his head. 

“That’s an understatement. We never even bothered to address her dying or any of us lying to her because the next time we saw her Thanos had our clones try to kill her” 

“Oh that too” Stark pointed 

“So what do we do?” Strange asked 

“Well you, you need to figure out a way to prove to her that this is her authentic reality. It’ll make the rest much easier if she actually trusts that it’s not all a dream” Tony nodded 

“And until we can do that?” Scott asked

“Slowly bring her out of her shell. Don’t be obvious about it. Just… I dont know… try and get her to eat breakfast in here… revisit her lab… you know” 

 

They all nodded in agreement. Splitting off their different ways to go about their missions, Bucky took off down the hallway. Loki and Thor had made the decision to finally alert the Asgardian’s to Alina’s return so this put the stress of having either one of them input some mystical shit into the conversation. Slowly, he made his way through the building to Alina’s room. It was worth a shot. 

Reaching the door, he knocked firmly.

“Mr Barnes, Miss Everton has requested that I relay to anyone who knocks that she is not wanting visitors” JARVIS rang out 

“Override?” Bucky tried 

“Im sorry sir but you do not have the permission to do that” 

Bucky sighed and shook his head. He knocked again. 

“Alina. It’s Bucky. JARVIS wont let me in” he pouted 

Silence.

“Cmon Ali. Lemme in. I just want to spend time with you” 

Silence. 

“Look, im not leaving. Im just going to sit out here until you open up” 

Silence. 

Ugh. 

He slipped down, his back against the door and his knees up by his chest as he laid his forearms across them. Fifteen minutes passed. Then 30. Then an hour. 

“I can do this all day” he muttered, messing about with his metal arm. 

Fifteen more minutes passed. He leant his head back against the door. 

“I miss you Ali” he murmured 

The door clicked open and he fell backwards fast. Catching himself in a dishevelled pile as half his body lay in her room and the other half out. It was comical at first and he smiled to himself. That smile was quickly wiped off his face as he got onto his hands and knees and then his feet to see Alina sitting across the room. One knee up and her head leant down onto it as she watched the rain fall outside. She didn’t even move at his entrance and he gently clicked the door shut behind him. With slow movements, he made his way across the room and sat down next to Alina. 

Glancing at her face, his own filled with concern. She looked exhausted. Her features lowered and her face gaunt. She clearly hadn’t been eating nor sleeping much and there was a haunting look of thought tracing her eyes. 

“Hey” he said softly 

“Hey” she replied with equal quiet, not taking her eyes off of the glass

“We miss you” 

“I was gone for nearly 9 months. What’s the difference?” 

“I was gone for 80 years. Didn’t mean Steve didn’t miss me” he smiled 

She looked at him for the first time in the conversation. The first time since she had woken up in the cradle.

“Sorry” she said, somewhat half heartedly. She didn’t have it in her to feel bad. She didn’t think she could potentially feel any worse than she did now anyway. 

“Im over it mostly. You will be too someday” 

She didn’t answer. Instead, turning her gaze out to the rain once more. 

“Alina, I know how hurt you must be. To find out everything you’d been living the past 7 months was a lie but you do realise why that is, dont you?” 

She sighed. 

“Why?” 

“You only created that happy ending because that’s what you wanted. Because you never dealt with ANYTHING that happened with Thanos. You literally died and brushed over it like it was something that happened every day. You’ve always got this… this face on because you feel like you have to have one because of these stones or whatever. Maybe it’s time you actually addressed all the trauma you were put through instead of trying to ignore it because you’re needed by others or whatever” 

Very slowly, she raised her anxious eyes to him. They were made wider as her eyebrows pushed upwards in concern and her lips dropped into a frown which was barely holding back the sobs. As gentle as possible, Bucky wrapped his metal arm around her shoulder and pulled her in. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head in the nook between his shoulder and collar bone. 

He was right after all. All this time she couldn’t work out why she was so angry, hurt and confused over coming out of the Quantum Realm. After all, worse things had happened to her. She had, quite literally, died. She’d been tortured for months, lied to her whole life, stabbed by Loki via reality stone. All things that she rationalised should’ve hurt more than this did for some reason. Bucky had finally provided the answers to her. Maybe it wasn’t the fact that she had been hallucinating that hurt. Maybe it was the fact that she had finally come to terms with and moved past all her hurt, confusion and sadness of the past 3 years in that Quantum dream. To be snapped out of it, brought all those feelings back so suddenly. All the feelings she had been so carefully mitigating. All the feelings she thought she had dealt with in her hallucination - all rushing back. 

“Thank you” she whispered

“Ain’t nothing, Doll” he smiled 

As she gripped onto him she began to make a checklist in her head. She needed Strange to sort out for her that this was indeed her reality. While this was happening, she needed to work out how much of her quantum dream was really true. Did Odin have plans for her to become Asgard’s ruler? Was she immortal? Was Hela truly dealt with? Was Jasper really a threat or just an innocent enhanced she had met? 

First things first though. 

She needed to find Peter.


	36. Peter

“Jarvis said Alina isn’t in the facility. Anyone know where she went?” Tony asked as he walked into the kitchen 

 

Bucky had told them the night before of his conversation with Alina. The fact that she had even let him into her room had surprised them, let alone her response to his words. Albeit simple, they hoped it would help her come to terms with the pain she was experiencing.    
  
“She said something brief this morning about going out” Scott answered 

 

She had indeed quickly nipped into the kitchen - her first time doing so in front of them since she had been back. She’d quickly nipped in and grabbed something from a draw, dressed in all black with her hair loose over her leather jacket. 

 

“Um, where?” Stark asked

“We didn’t ask. Didn’t want to push her” Nat shrugged 

 

“Anyone possibly think she could maybe be doing something dangerous?” Stark growled 

 

“Tony, cmon”    
  
“He’s right. You really should’ve asked. She could be doing anything and we don’t have Strange or Loki here to try track her magic” Steve agreed from beside Tony

 

“Are you two agreeing on something?” Scott asked sarcastically 

 

“World’s ending” Clint winked 

 

“Not the point” Steve nodded 

 

“Well all we can do now is wait and see what happens” Nat said, barely looking up from her briefing files she was reading through 

 

Tony sighed, exasperated. She was a super spy who had a lot of indifference to situations. But she usually read people pretty well and if she thought Alina wasn’t up to anything dangerous well that was good enough for him for the time being.    
  
“If she’s not back by dark though I am sending a full team out to look for her” Tony pointed 

 

// 

 

Alina had been relieved to find that the notebook was still a tangible thing, complete with Peter’s address and webbing signature. Dark clouds loomed over Queens as she walked briskly down the street. She recognised the apartment building as it came into view, the same low hanging trees surrounding it. It made her uncomfortable to think of it as a memory. It made her uncomfortable to even begin to think about meeting Peter again. He could be anything, anyone. Or, no one. 

 

She slipped into the building, glancing slightly at the woman who was leaving her bottom apartment. With as few nerves as she could, she approached the floor she knew Peter to live on. As she neared the door with the glaring number 20 on it, she realised she hadn’t really thought of a cover for who she was. What was she meant to say? ‘Hey Im a sorcerer and powerful rare being who met you in an alternate universe and is now seeking you out’. She doubted that would go down well. 

 

Abandoning this, she knocked on the door. There was quiet for a bit as Alina waited uncomfortably. The door opened to reveal a woman in her thirties with dark brown hair who looked as surprised to see Alina as Alina was to see her. 

 

“Hi” the woman said 

 

“Uh hi, sorry is this the… Parker residence?” Alina asked , confused. Perhaps Peter really didn’t exist here. 

  
“Sure is. I’m May”    
  
Ah. His Aunt. She remembered the last time, Peter had mentioned leaving a note for his Aunt. She suppressed the horrible feeling that came with thinking of those fake memories. 

 

“Im Alina Everton. Im actually looking for Peter?” she queried 

 

“Oh, he’s out and about at the moment sorry. Are you one of his teachers? I swear if he’s been messing about…”    
  
“Oh! No! Im a scientist. I was contacted due to his gifted nature in science and was just wanting to have a quick chat about internships” Alina lied 

 

“Like Mr. Stark?” May asked 

 

Alina reeled. Was reality about to start crashing down? Was she dreaming? How did Tony have anything to do with this? She felt her breath hitch and panic set into her chest. 

 

“Uh… Sorry?” she managed 

 

“He’s got this internship going with Tony Stark at the moment. He approached him completely out of the blue! God that kid is going places” she smiled 

 

Alina laughed to cover her confusion. What the hell had Tony been up to? Did he know about Peter’s abilities? Maybe Peter didn’t have any abilities in this universe.

 

“Well, it seems he is in high demand. I will try and email ahead next time and see if I can arrange a meeting” Alina smiled 

 

“Totally! Thank you!” May smiled as she clicked the door shut

 

Alina turned around and stood in the hallway for a moment. It felt like the walls were closing in. The familiarity of it, yet to know it never existed at all before now made her chest tighten and her head dizzy. Breaking into a stumbled run she used the walls to keep her upright as she got herself out of the building. Flicking her hoodie up which sat under her leather jacket, she hid her face. Still panicking and hyperventilating erratically she launched herself into the alley behind the building, half leaning - nearly sitting- against a brick wall. Her shoulders shook as she tried to calm herself. Thunder cracked above her, moving in from the distance and she coughed in between her sharp breaths. 

  
“Hey miss are you okay!?” A voice sounded from above her 

 

She looked up in time to see a figure swing down and latch himself onto the opposing wall. Alina put one hand on the brick wall beside her and stared at him. 

 

“Oh, I’m SpiderMan. Just looking after the neighbourhood” he said to her wide eyes, mistaking them for confusion

 

“Peter?!” she choked out 

 

The kid froze, cocking his head behind his red and black mask. 

 

“Uh no” he said, attempting to jump back up onto the roof he came from to make his escape.    
  
Alina quickly activated the space stone and restricted his movements, lowering him to the ground with a soft thud.    
  
“AHhhhuh please dont cast a spell on me!” he begged 

 

Still shaking, she released him from her hold and shook her head.    
  
“Im - im not here to harm you Peter. Im not going to tell anyone who you are its okay” she said, her voice hoarse from the panting 

 

“Who are you? Are you okay?” Peter asked 

 

“Im Alina Everton. I work for the Avengers”    
  
“Wait - you’re with Mr Stark?” Peter asked 

 

“Yeah. But I didn’t know until I just talked to your aunt that he had anything to do with you. Does he know about this?” Alina asked 

 

“Uhh… Yeah I mean he gave me the suit” Peter indicated

 

Typical. Tony was recruiting kids now. 

 

“Okay that’s, that’s good” she gasped, sliding down against the wall.    
  
Peter immediately approached her, crouching down.    
  
“Hey? Hey are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need help?” he asked, whipping off his mask 

 

“Im good.. Panic” she muttered 

 

“I didnt mean to scare you” he replied woefully 

 

“No… Not you.. It’s a long story” 

 

She waved her hand and changed him into normal clothes, lest anyone was to see him. 

 

“Woah! What the hell! That’s so cool! Wait - where’d the suit go?!” 

 

“Your room I imagine. Where ever it typically belongs” 

 

“Hold on, did Mr Stark tell you about me?”   
  
She shook her head.    
  
“I didnt even know HE knew about you until just now” she replied 

 

“Oh man this secret identity thing is really hard” he said bashfully 

 

The corner of Alina’s lips twitched up through her slowing breathes at his silly thinking. 

  
“One could say that”   
  
“Wait, so if Mr Stark didn’t tell you about me…. Who did?”    
  
“No one did. Well, you did. It’s kinda a REALLY long story”    
  
“Does it have to do with why you’re freaking out?” he asked 

 

She nodded 

 

“Yeah… I’ve met you already. Twice - sort of”    
  
“I dont remember you”    
  
“Not in this reality. In another reality… and in a hallucination” 

 

“Another reality? Are you talking about Quantum Physics?” Peter asked, still crouched beside her 

 

“You got it”    
  
“Wait, so you met a different version of me? That’s so cool. Was I cool?” 

 

“You were pretty similar to how you are now” she replied 

 

“So why’d you come find me?”   
  
“Other reality you made me promise I would. Plus a kid with your powers, well it would be nice to know you had a safe place with the Avengers” she shrugged 

 

“So you were gonna tell me all this?”    
  
“I was going to see if you wanted to come back to the Tower with me?” she asked gently 

 

He immediately shot up.    
  
“YES! Yes! Mr. Stark is always being like ‘oh you’re not ready’ blah blah but yes! Is Black Widow there? Do I get to meet Captain America?!” 

 

She smiled at his innocent awe. She realised it was the first time she had smiled since being back. Of course Peter would make her smile, it was hard not to around him.    
  
“Yes yes and yes” she replied as he was already pulling her up off of the ground. 

 

A few drops of rain began to fall, one landing on her nose as another loud crack of thunder sounded. This one closer to the rest. She pushed her hood back off her head and ran a hand through her hair as she righted herself. Peter was grabbing his backpack from behind a garbage bin when the rain began to fall more heavily, big heavy drops splashing on surface contact.

 

“I can get us there kinda fast if you can hold on” Peter smiled 

 

“I can do it faster” Alina replied, extending her hand to Peter.    
  
He took it quizzically.    
  
“Can you fly? I swear if you can fly Im going to lose it” he began to blabber

 

She shook her head and flicked her hand and they disappeared in a flash of blue. The alley way left empty behind them as the raindrops began to form puddles. 

 

They reappeared in the Avenger’s living room, facing the window. Peter turned to her, then back to the window, then to her in excitement. 

 

“HOLY SHIT!” he exclaimed, pretty much bouncing up and down at this point    
  
“YOU CAN TELEPORT. CAN WE DO IT AGAIN? CAN YOU TAKE US ANYWHERE? WAIT HOW - HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?! CAN YOU - oh” 

 

He stopped as his eye finally caught what was behind him. The Avengers, minus Tony and Bruce, sitting in the living room. They had all looked up from the files they had been reading through and were staring at the pair in silence. 

 

“Uh hi” Peter waved awkwardly 

 

“Everyone meet Peter Parker” Alina gestured 

 

“Um When you said you were going out I didn’t expect it to mean adopting a kid” Sam smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

“Ya know, I turned 17 last month actually” Peter mumbled 

 

“Wanna maybe explain this?” Clint asked 

 

It was precisely at this moment that Tony and Bruce walked in. Tony froze at the scene, looking around the room to gauge people’s reactions and finally, staring down Peter.    
  
“What in the hell” Stark said 

  
The room’s confused looks only got more intense. 

 

“Uh Mr Stark, Miss Alina said I could come…” he trailed off hopefully 

 

Tony turned to Alina and silently gestured between the pair.    
  
“I - what?” 

 

“He existed in my hallucination… I wanted to see if he existed here. He does. And APPARENTLY he has an internship with you” Alina replied, rocking on the balls of her feet. 

 

“Tony…?” Nat queried 

 

“He’s just a gifted kid in the sciences I picked up for an internship” Stark brushed off 

 

“Aaaand his gift in superpowers” Alina continued 

 

“What?” Steve asked 

 

Alina gestured at Peter to explain.    
  
“This thing kinda happened… About a year ago now. It’s like, my senses are heightened like crazy and im SUPER strong and can stick to walls and stuff” he shrugged 

 

“He can stop something weighing 50 tonnes kind of strong” Alina added quietly 

 

“Tony… have you been recruiting kids to the Avengers?” Steve asked 

 

“Kids is an exaggeration. Kid. Just the one. With superpowers who was swinging around New York stopping crime”    
  
“Where ya from Peter?” Steve asked 

 

“Uh… Queens” Peter answered 

 

“Brooklyn” Steve and Bucky replied in unison, big smiles on their faces

 

“Aw dude do you have a metal arm?! That’s SO cool!” Peter asked Bucky 

 

Bucky immediately wore an even bigger, childish smile on his face. This kid may as well be a 17 year old Steve with a little bit more innocence to him. Alina stumbled a bit and Peter immediately wrapped his arm under her shoulders.    
  
“Is it panic again?” he asked 

 

“More like Deja Vu” she muttered back as he righted her 

 

“Did you think this through? Don’t pretend like you thought this through” Tony said to Peter

“Mr Stark, miss Everton said it was okay!” Peter argued 

 

“I did. I was interested to see why his Aunt was telling me about his internship with you” Alina smirked just the tiniest bit at Stark’s dad like disbelief. 

 

“You know most people adopt a dog to help with PTSD not a child” Tony replied 

 

“I’m not -”    
  
“You’re gonna adopt me?!” Peter cut in excitedly 

 

“What!? No what” Alina stuttered out 

 

“Aw… I want a Magician for a mom” Peter replied 

 

“Sorcerer” Strange shook his head 

 

“Hold on how come she’s allowed a kid here but I can’t bring Cassie?” Scott asked 

 

“Cassie is like 9 Scott!” Bruce replied 

 

“Wait who’s this?” Peter asked, pointing at Scott 

 

Scott stood up, stretching a bit with some false swagger. Hope rolled her eyes from behind him.    
  
“Well, uh… kid you might know me. I got by Ant-Man” he grinned 

 

“Who?”    
  
Tony snorted into his coffee, very nearly spitting it out.    
  
“Aw cmon man!” Scott exclaimed 

 

“Wait.. so we’re using our made up names? Oh okay… Well then, Im Spider-Man”    
  
“Can you control spiders?” Scott asked 

 

“No, can you control ants?” Peter sassed 

 

“Yeah, actually” Scott responded as a bunch of ants began to pool at Peter’s feet

 

“AH! Nope!” Peter cried out, backing away from the ants 

 

Alina sighed and willed the ants backwards towards Scott.    
  
“Hey hey hey! What?” Scott said as the ants began to climb up him    
  
“Soul stone, remember?” Alina answered as she relinquished control of the ants 

 

“Riiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhtt, so anyway what were you planning on doing with spider boy here?” Clint asked 

 

“Dunno - show him around” Alina shrugged defensively 

 

“Really?!” Peter’s eyes shone

 

Alina chuckled ever so slightly and gestured to Tony.    
  
“Well since you’ve given me no option” Tony responded 

 

“YES!” Peter punched the air 

 

“Cmon then kid” Tony gestured 

 

“I’ll catch up with you later” Alina said quietly to him before he bounded off after Tony and Bruce. 

 

She felt a bit of a weight off her shoulders knowing that Peter existed and was safe here. It was strangely grounding to have him around. At least, it made her 7 month hallucinatory experience seem a little less pointless if there was at least one constant that she could hold onto. Quietly, she exited the room and they all exchanged glances as she slipped out. They noticed her more trusting stance around Peter - and she was using her magic for the first time since being back. Something she had very evidently been avoiding doing. Nat sent Tony a text. 

  
Nat: ‘Keep the kid around - he’s good for her :)’

 

Tony: ‘I was going to send him to Afghanistan’

 

Nat: ‘Don’t be a dick, Tony’    
  


Tony: ‘Could be the name of my autobiography. I’ll ease into setting him up a room. Spin some lie to his Aunt’ 

 

Nat: ‘Thank you :)’ 

 

Walking through the corridors, Alina made sure to ask JARVIS to notify her when Stark was wrapping things up with Peter. He obliged in his usual polite fashion and she made her way to the bottom floors which were dedicated to the labs. She hadn’t actually been down there since returning and had been avoiding it but she had mustered a little more confidence today and decided it was time to poke that bear. The elevator ride down was nerve wracking to say the least. The quiet was only interrupted by the whirring on the system and the cheerful ‘ding!’ which rang out. 

 

She was thankful that all other lab work and scientists had been transferred upstate to the new HQ after the whole Thanos ordeal. It meant that the tower’s labs were solely for their personal use and when SHIELD needed to base itself in New York City rather than upstate. Unfortunately that had been the start of their whole Quantum ordeal and she froze as she saw the tunnel occupying side of the massive room. Forcing herself through the panic, she wandered over to her own lab work and saw everything was still untouched. Files where she had left them, equipment strewed about, even microscope lenses sitting on top of some reports. 

 

Her mind flashed back to the day she had left it all there. 

 

_ “Ali, you can’t keep pushing the wedding back for this sort of stuff” Loki said, exasperated from across the lab _

_ She looked up from her work, her hair dangling over her cheeks. Both hands firmly pressed to the table she leaned forward as she spoke. _

_ “Loki this is important! The wedding can wait!” _

_ “Ooh a lovers quarrel?” Scott teased _

 

She flicked back to the present, shaking her head to force out the memories which had overtaken her. She took a few steps forward and stared at the Quantum Tunnel, a file she had picked up still in hand. 

 

_ “Alina?” Steve asked, questioning her commitment and involvement _

_ She shrugged _

_ “It’s been a while since I did something irrational, reckless and dangerous” _

_ “Oh shut up” Tony smirked _

 

She shook her head again and tossed the file back onto her lab desk behind her. She ran her fingers over the control panel of the tunnel which seemed to be left untouched since her arrival. Her eyes flicked to the blood splatter a few feet in front of the tunnel entrance. Her blood splatter.

 

_ “We talk about the wedding when you get back” he murmured quietly to her _

_ “Yes sir” she said, saluting him with a small smile _

_ He rolled his eyes at her, his own smile still tweaking his lips as she walked toward the portal opening. _

_ “Okay just remember, avoid time vortexes!! And we will pull you out when you’re ready, you’ll be able to communicate with us at all times!” Janet half yelled over the whirring of the vortex _

 

Alina gasped loudly, coming back to the present. Her hands were shaking slightly as she stared down at the blood splatter in front of her. It was dried into the grey concrete flooring and she breathed heavily through her nose as her jaw was too clenched to open. She tried telling herself everything was okay. She tried to slow her breathing. She tried everything she could think of to get rid of the electric feeling which ran through her chest and shoulders. Nothing worked and she fell to her knees in front of the tunnel. Leaning back she simply sat down, one leg outstretched as she looked up at the contraption.    
  
“Unlimited power source cause that went well last time” she muttered to herself 

“Are you talking about the tessaract?!” Peter’s voice echoed as he dropped from the cieling 

Alina screamed. 

“JESUS CHRIST PETER” 

“Oh, sorry!” 

“When the hell did you get here?!” she asked, gasping heavily 

“Sorry, Sorry, Sorry!!!” he repeated as he immediately crouched down beside Alina, putting his hand on her shoulder, “Is there anything I can do? Sorry!” 

“Just… where the fuck” 

“Mr Stark said I could wander like… 10 minutes ago” 

“JARVIS!? You were meant to tell me!” Alina half heartedly yelled at the ceiling 

“Sorry Miss. Mr Stark had overrode my protocols”    
  


“Asshole” she muttered 

Peter sat down beside her, one knee up and his arm lazily across it. She noticed he was in his suit and theorized Tony must have been testing his powers or something of the likeness. 

“Is this a Quantum Tunnel?” he asked, looking up at it in awe

“Yip”

“And you got stuck in there?”

“Yip” she replied, slightly more tensely 

“For 7 months right?”    
  
“I was hallucinating for 7… I was in there for roughly 9 maybe 10” she grunted 

“Didn’t your parents miss you?” 

“Dont have em” 

“Oh… sorry” 

“It’s okay - I was a child” 

“Did anyone notice you were gone?”

“Well… like everyone here” she smiled 

“Oh… Right” 

There was silence as they both looked up at the Quantum tunnel from the floor. 

“Im sorry Miss Everton” Peter said quietly 

“Just call me Ali, or Alina” 

“Really!?” his eyes shone 

“Yeah Pete” 

He pursed his lips shut to contain his excitement. Glancing between her and the Quantum Tunnel. 

“Um… Ali…. Can you… Can you show me some more magic?” he asked somewhat sheepishly 

She laughed a little, her breathy chuckly bouncing off the walls.    
  
“What did you want to see?” she asked

“What can you do?” 

“Heaps…. Elemental, transformation, teleportation, weaponary” she shrugged 

“How strong are you?” he asked curiously 

“Right now? Average human strength - Im spy trained but Im not Thor” 

“What do you mean right now?” 

“If I use the Power stone, I’m significantly stronger” 

“Stronger than me?” 

“Maybe” she shrugged 

“Can we test it?” 

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow to which he immediately looked embarrassed. She hadn’t trained since coming out of the tunnel - she didn’t know her limits. Frankly, she was terrified of picking up weapons again or testing her abilities. 

“I promise it’ll be safe” Peter tried

Alina sighed in response and shook her hair over her shoulders. “Fine, but if you get hurt Stark will literally kill me” she shrugged 

“No he won’t” 

“Yes - he will” she scoffed. Stark would literally hang her off the tower if she hurt Peter. She knew his stance on kids and civilians and Peter was by all means, still a kid. 

“I wont get hurt then” he smiled

Standing to walk to the elevator, she glanced back at him and gestured using her head for him to follow. He eagerly scrambled to his feet and followed her. They stood silently, side by side in the elevator as Peter clasped his hands in front of him and rocked back and forth. His lips were pushed together tightly, obviously holding back a hundred questions. 

Getting out on the training floor, Alina was unsurprised to find Steve and Bucky doing what they considered to be some light training; which for them was some intense boxing. They glanced up slightly as she and Peter walked in but very quickly returned to their training - not wishing to spook Alina. In their own thoughts however they each considered the situation curiously - Alina had not entered the training room since being back.

“Alright Spidey boy what do you wanna do?” she asked gruffly 

“Uh it’d be cool to test my strength and stuff against someone like you” he suggested 

“So you wanna fight?” she raised her eyebrows 

“Um uh yeah if - if that’s okay. I promise I’ll be careful” he tried 

“You better be” she warned, pointing a finger at him as she shimmered into her black combat suit. Peter’s mask came up over his head and Alina considered him. That was a nice feature, she smirked to herself. 

“Alright, show me what you got spidey” 

He immediately shot webbing, tying her wrists together and her ankles.    
  
“Okay then” she growled, rolling her eyes as he backflipped and stuck to the wall. 

Activating the power stone, she ripped apart his webbing and froze his feet to the wall. 

“Ah! Cold! Cold!” he yelled out

She crossed her arms and looked up at him.

“How’s it going up there buddy?” she asked 

“It’s SO cold” 

“So what’s the plan?” she smiled 

“Huh?”

“Well, if this was a real fight, what would you do?” 

“Ummmmmmm” he tugged his feet to no avail “Karen?” 

“I can increase the heat on your suit to free you” her voice rang 

“Thank you!” he chirped 

“Now that’s just cheating” she muttered as the ice around his feet melted and dripped down the wall, creating a small puddle. He leapt down towards him and she caught him, quickly tossing him across the room. He tumbled into a roll, quickly righting himself. 

“Alright kid, how’s your hand to hand” she rolled her shoulders back

He leapt onto a wall and bounced off it at her, she caught his fist as he threw a punch. With the power stone activated, his strength was roughly the same as if Clint or Nat had thrown a hit at her. Holding his fist in her purple fist, she raised an eyebrow and slowly twisted his fist back.    
  
“Woaaahhhh. Oh my god.” he peered down at the purple glow 

She kicked out, sending him across the room. “Dont get distracted” she chided as she strode towards him. 

He used his webbing to flick Bucky’s boxing bag at her. She conjured a golden sword and cut it in half, sending sand flying everywhere. 

“Oh come on!” Bucky yelled, both him and Steve stopping to watch 

“Oooh boy” Peter hummed as Alina shook the sand from her hair

The next time he tried to tie her wrists with his webbing, she simply used the reality stone to turn it into sewing yarn. Peter picked a piece up. 

“Holy! Shit!” he exclaimed, hanging a piece from his hand, “Wait how does that even work? Did you just change to molecular makeup of my webbing…? That’s so -” he was cut off as Alina threw him across the room again.    
  
He landed with a thump. When he didn’t get up, she immediately panicked, diving to his side. “Fuck! Peter!” This was her mistake. He immediately punched her upwards of the jaw and kicked her in the chest. With none of the stones activated she had no protection and his full strength came into play. She was sent hard and fast across the room and into the opposing concrete wall, hitting it hard and landing with a thud. Momentarily losing consciousness, she woke within seconds to hear Peter. 

“Holy shit holy shit. I didn’t mean to I thought I was- I didnt... oh myyy godd! Im sorry!” he was yelling as she heard his webbing bringing him closer to her. 

“Uhhgurhfhuef” she groaned as she tried to prop herself up, the still healing wound in her side aching. 

Peter crouched down beside her anxiously, one hand on her shoulder as Bucky reached them. 

“You okay?” he crouched down beside Alina, noticing the trickle of blood from her mouth 

She nodded, gasping and groaning as she sat herself up with one arm around her side protectively. 

“That was mean” she said to Peter, through gasps 

“Sorry! Im sorry!”

“I thought I’d hurt you” she muttered 

“I know, I thought I could catch you off guard I didn’t think - Im sorry” he still had a hand gripping her shoulder 

“Don’t worry about it kid” Steve smiled at him, gently as he arrived from righting the snapped in half boxing bag that had been strewed across the room. 

“Well excuse you” she muttered 

Bucky smirked a little as he used his thumb to smear the blood off her chin. She was shaking slightly and felt weak from the strength her panic had sucked from her. Getting back into the ring only to horribly hurt someone was her biggest fear at the moment. Especially with Peter.    
  
“Im so sorry Ali. I didn’t even think about… the panic I promise it wont happen again” he begged 

“It’s okay. It’s okay” she reassured as he pulled her to her feet.

She immediately doubled, grabbing her side with a groan. Bucky grabbed onto her. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah” she breathed out, nodding her head repetitively 

Loki walked into the room, immediately freezing as he saw Alina being supported by Bucky and Peter dressed in his Spider-Man gear, stressing out. Putting two and two together, he strode forward angrily. 

“Did this SPIDERLING attack you?” he hissed as he approached 

Peter backed away quickly, looking between Alina and Loki with a mixture of curiosity and panic. Alina put her hand out into Loki’s chest with a lot more force than she intended. 

“He’s a friendly” she muttered 

“You’re hurt” he replied, his tone now gentle 

“We were sparring - he got one over me” she smiled a little 

Loki glanced at Peter, his eyes hardening. 

“Loki” Steve warned 

“He’s a friend” Alina reassured 

Peter’s face broke out into a grin at this. 

“Oh my god you’re Loki!” he grinned, realisation curving his features. 

Loki looked at him in muted curiosity. 

“You’re so cool!” he continued 

Loki continued to look confused. 

“Did you adopt a CHILD while I was gone?” he asked, looking between Alina and Peter 

Steve was smirking in the background. 

“Technically Tony did” she replied 

“Im 17!” 

“You’re only 1700 years old!?” Loki exclaimed 

“No, Im 17 years old?” Peter questioned

“.... you… stark… he’s not letting this child fight?” Loki gasped in horror

“Remember different ageing things here” Alina smiled slightly at the comedy of the situation

Loki shook his head in disbelief and kissed Alina’s hair gently. Peter looked between the two curiously. 

“Waaiiittt……. Are you two…? No way…” Peter grinned 

“Peter-” Bucky began

“The TWO STRONGEST Avengers are dating? Are you married? How long have you been dating? Do you play magic tricks on each other?” Peter interrupted 

“Dont say that in front of Thor kid” Steve laughed 

“Why? Magic beats strength everytime!” Peter exclaimed 

“I like the spiderling” Loki commented 

“Good. Because he’s staying” Tony said, walking into the room in running gear

“What?” Alina queried 

Peter kept his mouth shut although his facial features conveyed his clear excitement at the possibility of Stark’s words. 

“He’s staying. With us. In the tower. Training for potential of missions” 

“Really!? OH MY GOD MR STARK THANK YOU” 

“Yeah kid. No missions straight away though I wanna put you up against Thor first” he smirked 

“Wait - what about Aunt May?” 

“She will be under the impression you have a live in internship” Tony shrugged, chucking him what was obviously a fake contract

As Peter flipped through it and gushed to Steve and Bucky, Alina gently approached Tony, still limping from her sore side and lack of oxygen. 

“Is this really a good idea” she muttered 

“What? You don’t want the kid around?” Stark asked 

“It’s not that. He could get hurt Tony, he’s only 17” 

“A 17 year old with super strength, senses and abilities. Im not letting him go on missions just yet, dont worry. You and him both are on house arrest” he replied 

She glanced at him and dropped her shoulders in a sigh. 

“Okay Tony”

“Besides, he’s actually cheaper than a therapy dog” 

Alina smacked him on the shoulder and he grinned at her. 

“Tony!” 

He smirked and then raised his voice to Peter. 

“Come on kid let me show you your room” 


	37. Plans

Peter and Alina were the only two home for the majority of the next month. They were banned from all missions - Alina for the most part voluntarily. Peter argued his ban at first, saying that he needed experience and was part of the team but Tony insisted that they needed to get a handle on the problem they were facing before they would let Peter assist on missions. Parker quickly dropped this when he realised he genuinely enjoyed staying back with Alina as he could convince her to train with him or partner in the labs together. 

The team could tell that something still wasn’t right with her though. She would zone out for no reason and flick back. What they didn’t know is that she was often spending those out of mind moments in the Quantum Realm, in constant flashbacks of colour and fractals. It was something she could neither control nor enjoy and often heightened her panic when they would come from nowhere. Hank and Janet recognised the symptoms of her struggles but found it hard to identify or fix it in the long run. That, and she had shut herself away from the pair after asking to be tested vigorously for molecular disequilibrium. She didn’t want anything to do with the Quantum Realm. That is, until, today.    
  
The team were out on a mission which required their full attendance. The tower was quiet without the echoes of their footsteps in the hallways and the sounds of various modes of discussion ricocheting back and forth. Peter had convinced Alina into the upstairs lab that hung above the sky lounge. It was her second time back in there and Peter was the only one so far who had convinced her to give it a go. The team did not know about the first time, nor would they find out about the second if she had anything to do with it. She figured, how much trouble could Peter get up to - In comparison to Tony or Hank? 

The answer turned out to be quite a lot. Peter was fascinated with the stones and how they functioned, as well as their link to her experience in the Quantum Realm. She had noted out loud one day her inability to access her ancestral heritage anymore, something that she was able to do at will before the Quantum Realm incident. Peter’s young mind sought answers in different places from where Tony and the others might look and it was this that lead her to standing in the middle of the lab whilst he ran various tests. 

“Right so they’re definitely sentient - they function like code” Peter said as Alina sat with raised eyebrows 

“That is correct”

“So is it possible they’re trying to protect you from something? He queried, looking up from his notes. “Something the Quantum realm could’ve shown you or done to you?”

“I mean it’s possible. They have attempted to act on my behalf before” she noted, thinking of the time she met the Ravagers. 

“Right right so what if they’re blocking this on purpose. These...Flashbacks” he paused, she had sworn him to secrecy about them after he had questioned her for days. “What if they’re little snippets of what the stones are trying to protect you from?” 

“I only ever see glimpses of the Quantum Realm” she shrugged 

“Yeah but it’s thought to be an unlimited energy source. I mean, that’s what the Avengers are all out dealing with now” he shrugged

Her head perked up at this. She had very specifically been avoiding the teams mission subjects. “What do you mean?” she asked sharply. 

“Yeah I keep overhearing their briefings. It’s like they’re searching for people who keep using Quantum Energy to create weapons, human enhancements” he paused, leaning forward on his chair, “I even heard Captain Rogers say once that someone was attempting to combine purified Quantum Energy with vibranium” 

That was interesting. She had been unaware and unwilling to involve herself in whatever missions the team had been attending to. Her mind flicked to her final realm and to Jasper and the enhanced she had encountered there. 

“Interesting” she remarked after a moment 

“Yeah, anyway it’s kind of weird you don't have any molecular disequilibrium” Peter mused 

“How so?” Alina asked, well aware that it was strange but interested to hear his explanation. 

“Well, considering your time in there and the fact that your open wound caused you to hallucinate. It only makes sense you’d be suffering from it” he poured over a holographic blue screen filled with readings. “Besides, how could the Quantum Realm stop you communicating with your mom and dad?” 

“I dont know.” 

“Are the flashbacks getting worse?” Peter queried 

“I dont think so” she shook her head, thinking. “More or less the same, just random. Surges of power, fear” 

“Power?” Peter’s head shot up

“Yeah nothing unusual, similar to how I felt when I first began wielding the stones” 

“And fear? Like a panic attack?” 

“No. Like fear.” It definitely wasn’t a panic attack, she knew that much. 

“Well -” He was cut off by JARVIS 

“The Quinjet is approaching” 

They both glanced to one another and jetted down the stairs, throwing themselves onto the couches. Peter put the first thing on Netflix up on the TV and Alina stretched out over a couch, quietly picking up the lab reports for some of her old projects and flicking to a random page. A few minutes later, the team began to straggle in. Some were engaged in conversation, others were quiet. Peter glanced up from his netflix, remote in hand whilst Alina did not even raise her eyes from her reading. They had gotten into a routine: spend time together, explore Alina’s conundrum, train and then when the team were arriving back, simply look as if they were watching TV, cooking, reading or wandering. They received some nods as the team split up, going their separate ways to clean their weapons or pour over reports.

Loki carefully approached Alina and kissed the top of her head. She tensed up at this. Ever since being back she struggled to be around Loki. He triggered her flashbacks and she felt horrible every time she flinched, zoned out or tensed in his presence - which was often. Since the final moment of her “happy life” had been looking into his eyes at the altar, it felt strange to hit the reset button and realise none of it had been true. 

Loki knew this. He could feel her tense whenever he was near. He would watch her flinch instinctively. Both him and Strange could feel her magic and her discomfort in it. Sadly, he backed away and shared a glance with Clint. Of all people, he had been confiding in the archer who was just as worried about Alina. The man was ever weary of Loki so it had surprised him when he approached Loki quietly one afternoon to ask about her progress. It was here in which Loki broke down his worries. 

“She’s not getting any better is she?” Nat asked frankly as she stood in between them in the hallway 

“At least she’s hanging around us and interacting. That’s something” Clint replied 

“Did you suggest the farm?” Nat pushed 

“She reacted really badly. I dont know why but she completely freaked out at even the suggestion of the farm” Clint said, concerned. When he had suggested Alina to stay with Laura for a few weeks to get away from the tower, she completely shut down and began to panic. 

“She has still not confided in me” Loki answered the question that was forming on Natasha’s lips. “She has barely even spoken with me” 

“We need to talk to Peter” Tony said, walking through to hallway with a handful of peanuts and gesturing they follow him up to his lab. 

“Tony I know they’re close but I dont think a kid -” Banner cut off as he trailed behind Tony

Stark flicked up a blue hologram in response which showed Peter and Alina sitting in the lab running tests. The audio was muted but it was clear what was happening.    
  
“Uhhhhhh” Bruce continued, whipping on his glasses 

“How long has that been going on for?” Nat asked 

“A few weeks” 

“And we haven’t done anything becauseeeee?” Clint interjected 

“Because she trusts him and if we tell them we know, she’ll not only shut us out more but she’ll shut him out too” Tony shrugged 

“Tony he’s a kid. What happens if she completely freaks out?” Banner nodded, pointing his pen at the hologram from his crossed arms

“She won’t hurt him” 

“You dont know that” Hank remarked as he appeared from the corner he had clearly been standing in along with Janet 

“We don’t know enough about the Quantum Realm to decide whether she’s stable” she pitched in gently but firmly

“The kid can lift 50 tonnes with ease. He’ll be able to at least save himself if she were to lose the plot - which I think she would’ve done by now” Tony shrugged 

“What tests were they running?” Banner asked, peering over his glasses 

“They’ve run through power sourcing, all the stones, molecular disequilibrium, general functionality, neuro functionality - you name it”

“The results?” 

“All normal as far as I can tell. Or at least, the same as when we’d done them” 

“What about the audio?” Nat asked 

Tony sighed and shook his head. “Jarvis?” he murmured. 

The audio came through clear. 

_ “Yeah, anyway it’s kind of weird you dont have any molecular disequilibrium” Peter mused  _

_ “How so?” Alina asked _

_ “Well, considering your time in there and the fact that your open wound caused you to hallucinate. It only makes sense you’d be suffering from it” Peter remarked in return. “Besides, how could the Quantum Realm stop you communicating with your mom and dad?”  _

_ “I dont know.”  _

_ “Are the flashbacks getting worse?” Peter queried  _

_ “I dont think so” she shook her head, thinking. “More or less the same, just random. Surges of power, fear”  _

_ “Power?” Peter’s head shot up _

_ “Yeah nothing unusual, similar to how I felt when I first began wielding the stones”  _

_ “And fear? Like a panic attack?”  _

_ “No. Like fear.” _

“Is that good? Or bad?” Clint asked 

“She cannot communicate with her heritage. That’s bad” Loki remarked 

“Because of the Quantum Realm?” Hank replied in confusion 

“No. It will be the stones in some caliber but they were likely triggered by the quantum realm or something in it. Remember they have sentience and can respond.”

“Can she still use the stones?” Clint asked 

Banner nodded quietly in response.    
  
“What was she talking about surges of power? Fear?” Nat asked 

“Could be anything” Tony shrugged 

“Or it could be an extended connection to the quantum realm and its anomalies. Assuming she entered and exited parallel universes” Strange snapped as he briskly entered the room. 

“What would you know?” Hank replied sharply

“My teachings with the ancient one showed me there are more ways to access and harness the Quantum Realm than your tunnels, Dr Pym” 

“What does that mean, magic man?” Clint smirked 

“It means the stones could be warning her. We already know she can astral project - that she can retain the teachings of other realities. We dont know who she could’ve met or what she could’ve learned.” 

“Were does that leave us?” Loki asked, his quiet voice piercing the room

“We need to find out what happened to her” Hank confirmed. 

// 

A week passed with little incident. The last mission cemented in place a series of events that led to the team uncovering a massive research base working on quantum weaponry that needed to be shut down. It was high priority. It was also heavily guarded. The team spent the next few days pouring over schematics and layouts, figuring out plans of attack. Unfortunately, everything they worked out always seemed to need more manpower. To their surprise, Alina also seemed to be a little more attentive to their missions - something she had very obviously been avoiding. Whilst clearly not okay, she was slowly becoming a bit more comfortable and focussed. The following day, Loki found her leading some SHIELD scientists in the downstairs lab. 

Loki had quietly reported this to those upstairs who were once again pouring over files and plans. It was readily accepted. They had all noticed her renewed, quiet confidence at trainings. 

“I think we’re going to have to take Peter” Cap finally said 

Tony nodded in agreement, much to the surprise of the team who had congregated in the spacious planning room. He was incredibly protective over the boy, feeling particularly responsible for Peter’s safety after dragging him into this lifestyle. 

“He’s ready” Tony shrugged to the looks he received, making narrow eye contact with Natasha. 

The small moment was passed over as they continued to work, now integrating Peter into their plan of attack. Once again they reached an impasse. The front doors on the facility were safe guarded with some sort of quantum field generator. Even if they successfully took out the guards and the turrets, the shield would remain over the large metal sliding doors which would prevent them accessing the base. 

“Strange could surely work some magic?” Clint joked

“Out of my depth” Strange replied coyly 

“Oh Mr. Ego over here admits something he can’t do?!” Scott grinned

“I dont see your ants helping” Nat replied 

“Im not going to get my men killed” Scott replied, hurt

“Loki?” Bucky asked hopefully 

Loki shook his head. 

“Even Asgardian magic has not dabbled in this technology before. It is entirely new to all the realms, not simply midgard” Thor replied, elaborating on his brothers annoyed head shake

“Well we NEED to get past that generator or else we’re going nowhere” Steve said, tapping his lip with his pen. 

“Banner? Got anything up your sleeve?” Stark asked lightly 

Bruce flicked up the 3D hologram of the base and spun it around, shaking his head. 

“Maybe if I could get a closer look at the thing I could figure out how it works, maybe find a weak point but we wouldn’t have the time and it would ruin the element of surprise” he shook his head “Besides those gunners would pick us off before I could get close” 

“None of us could for sure take down that generator. It’s too risky” Steve shook his head

“Well… one of us could” Nat said, her voice projecting out into the quiet room. 

Everyone’s heads raised to look at her. Her mouth opened as if to defend her statement. 

“She’s right” Tony agreed quietly, eyes now flicking to him. 

“No. No way” Bucky growled 

“Absolutely not” Loki hissed with equal disapproval 

“She may be the only one with a sure chance at taking that generator down” Bruce argued back in a gentle but firm tone

“She’s not ready!” Clint interjected

“Yeah not to choose sides here but what if she… freaks out” Scott nodded

“She wont” Hank said 

“You know, dad, I’m not usually inclined to agree with Scott but…” Hope trailed off, using her eyes to gesture to Scott. He looked mildly surprised at the agreement and quickly shut his mouth, choosing not to comment. 

“Strange?” Cap asked the sorcerer, who had stood silently the entire time. 

Strange seemed to shift his weight slightly in a half sigh before answering. “I don’t know. She certainly is not as bad as she was but we cannot possibly know the extent of her reaction to field work” he shrugged

“It’s a risk” Nat nodded “But one we have to take” 

“This weapons base is TOO important for us to not destroy it and now!” Hank growled 

“Enough elder! Lady Alina is in no state to be placed in battle” Thor replied 

“Perhaps you dont understand, mortal -” Loki began in a growl 

“NO perhaps YOU dont understand. The weapons these people are building could not just kill or maim but traverse realities in ways we cannot imagine! There is nothing more important than having them destroyed” Hank cut Loki off, his voice raised in panicked anger

“Hank” Janet said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder

“And what if she loses control?” Hope asked quietly 

“She wont. She’ll be with Loki, Peter and Barnes the whole time” Tony answered, bringing up the plan schematics on their 3D rendition, complete with little figurines. 

“No. Absolutely not Stark” Bucky growled, exchanging an angry glance with Steve who was well aware that Bucky understood the gravity of her situation far better than anyone in that room. 

“Buck.. we don’t have a choice. You know I wouldn’t ask if there was another way but we have limited time and opportunity to take this place down - who knows what they could be making or doing?”

“JARVIS, send Alina up here” Tony demanded 

“Right away sir” 

The 5 minutes that followed were quiet and tense, consisting of silence broken only by Scott playing with one of Clint’s stray arrows which he was promptly snapped at to stop. The tenseness snapped like a rubber band as Alina pushed open the glazed glass door, Peter in tow. She hesitantly stopped upon seeing their expectant eyes and surveyed the room curiously. 

“Uhhh are you guys holding an intervention… cause.. Like I’ve maybe missed a bit of homework here and there but it’s nothing serious I promise” Peter began to explain himself 

“Peter, I dont think this is about your homework” she suggested dryly 

“Well, while we’re at it. Kid you’re on the next mission” Tony addressed him, Peter’s head immediately shot up. 

“Really?!” he asked, a tight lipped smile hiding the excitement he was feeling 

“And you’re asking my permission?” Alina smirked at Tony 

“No… uh.. You’re on the mission too” 

The change of character was immediate. Her face dropped and her shoulders tensed as she took in Tony’s statement, staring at him. Wide eyed, she flicked her gaze to Nat who nodded just barely. 

“We think you’re capable” she said gently 

“No. Absolutely not” she said, her voice low and her breathing very clearly shallow as she stared at the hologram in front of her

“No one else could take down that quantum generator”

“Find someone then” she murmured before quickly turning and attempting to leave the room. The door was locked. She glanced to Tony, her eyebrows knitted together in an expression that ranged from disdained to panic. 

“Tony, let her out” Bucky said in a quiet, yet forceful tone. 

Instead, Tony stood up from his seat. 

“Tony…” Steve said quietly, noticing Alina’s tenseness and immediately disagreeing with Stark’s decision to be cavalier about the situation. 

Peter was glancing between Tony and Alina, his lips pursed in concern. 

“Alina we need you. Think of how many people could die if we don’t get those weapons!”

“Stark I -” 

“Mr Stark.. Maybe you should let her leave” Peter suggested sheepishly 

“No. Because you know what Everton, when you signed up for this you signed up for all of it and sometimes that means putting yourself at risk to make sure innocent people dont die” Tony ignored Peter but regained his dad like tone

Alina’s expression immediately conveyed one of toned down pain. “You don’t think I’ve sacrificed enough for this Tony? I DIED so other people didn’t have to… I don’t know what more you want from me” 

“I WANT you on this mission. You’re either an avenger or you’re not but if you’re not then we need to find you a nice granny flat in uptown new york to settle in” 

Alina flinched at the snarky comment. 

“Tony this isn’t what I meant when I said I supported this…” Nat interjected quietly 

“That technology is TOO dangerous to be left” Hank cut her off

An all out argument started between the groups; those for and against forcing alina onto the mission. Even Peter joined in as voices began to raise and chaos ensued. 

“ALRIGHT ENOUGH” Alina’s voice pierced the room as her eyes flashed the bright gold of the mind stone. 

They all turned to her, the room dead silent as her eyes still glowed the hot flash of gold which traced down through her hands and compelled them to not speak. 

“I’ll do it” she said in a much quieter tone “But if I die, I blame you” she pointed to Stark before turning and throwing herself out of the door.    
  
“Well, I’d say that was a success” Tony smiled. 

Groans followed. 


	38. Reset

The days following were packed with planning. For the most part, Alina simply sat in the room intensely observing the planning that was going on. Peter was far more involved, driving them all nuts as he asked a quick fire question a minute. Due to their extensive prior planning, it only took a few days to hash out a fully fledged plan of attack. Janet, Hank and Bruce were to stay behind. Sam, Rhodey and Stark would all be ariel, once the shield was down it was their jobs to insert themselves straight into the middle of the base. Loki, Strange and Thor would all be waiting at the front with Alina, Bucky and Peter. Once Alina had the shield down, they were the muscle that would enter first. This would be followed by Clint, Nat, Hope and Scott whose mission was to obtain as much data from the base before the other’s destroyed it. In the meantime, Alina, Peter and Bucky would remain out front, picking off any escapees, watching the flank and preventing the escape of any weaponry. 

Hank had explained that due to it’s quantum nature, the generator would need to be reset every 5 minutes meaning Alina must remain insight of it, consistently preventing it from resetting the shield. This would keep her out of the main fight and protected by Peter and Bucky.

They knew their missions. 

//

The day loomed relatively quickly and Alina’s anxiety was apparent on the morning.

“Look, Ali. You know I wouldn’t send you in if I thought you weren’t ready?” Tony said quietly over his coffee.    
  
She glanced up at him and sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders. Letting out a small smile, she nodded. “I know. I’ll be fine” she replied with a smile. 

After all, what could go wrong. It was simple and she felt a small surge of confidence. Perhaps starting small was good. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t confident in her fighting skills, she was more concerned and anxious over the possibility of none of this being real once again. The team did not quite gather this as she still had not expressed any detail of what happened in the Quantum Realm nor her hallucinations. It seemed unimportant that they knew. In the end, it would only result in more questions. Ones she had already answered before - or at least, she thought she had. 

As she thought, the other’s bustled around her preparing themselves and sneaking glances. Steve cleared his throat as they stood in the hanger. 

“Alina.. You wanna get ready?” 

She glanced up at him, slightly confused. “Huh? Oh yeah” she smiled, waving her hand and moving into Peter’s designed outfit. The team exchanged looks ranging from shocked to impressed to curious. Of course, they had seen it only when she had arrived back through the Quantum Tunnel and it had been covered in dust and blood and dirt. In her hand, she summoned Dragonfang and the whole team jumped back slightly. 

“Uh WHAT is THAT!” Clint pointed in an entertaining overreaction which could only be akin to dad like. 

“Why, that’s a dragonfang!” Thor bellowed as Alina gave him a cheeky smile and twisted the iridescent sword in the light before sheathing it over her shoulder 

“Now where did you get one of the most formidable weapons in the universe?” Loki smiled gently 

“And an ancient artifact of the mystic arts” Strange nodded 

“Long story. I’ve technically already told you” she replied lightly 

“After” Steve interjected, gesturing them to the Quinjet. “Now’s really not the time” 

Following his instruction, they boarded the jet and promptly took off - much to Peter’s excitement. The rest of the team saw it as good news that Alina seemed light and breezy about the situation today. Her confidence in turn renewed confidence in them that with their numbers this could be a quick in and out mission.

“Dragonfang has to choose it wielder, you know?” Loki murmured to her quietly

She glanced to him with a pursed smile. “Im well aware of the semantics, Loki” she replied

He laughed a little in response. It was nice to have this side of her back. It felt normal and for the first time in a while, Loki felt like everything might be alright. 

It wasn’t a long trip but it was a relatively calm few hours. After a few hours of jiving and joking, Steve finally took a serious route as they were coming in on their destination. 

“Alright we’re coming in. Everyone’s got their missions - stick to them and them only. I dont want any deviating, we get in, we get data and we blow the place to hell. Alina, Bucky and Peter keep eyes on the entrance at ALL times - we dont want anyone escaping with tech or information. If you see them, take them out.” he shifted his belt and surveyed the group as they all nodded and readied themselves. “And Alina, you keep that Quantum Generator open, we cant afford for it to shut down whilst any of us are in there” 

Alina nodded and shook herself off as she stood, running through each of the stones and giving Steve a golden wink. 

“You’re up first, sparkles” Tony nodded as she gave him a calmed look before promptly dropping out of the hovering Quinjet and into the sparse forest below. Bucky and Peter promptly followed and the trio crept forward through the trees. 

Peter moved stealthily above them, being the sky eyes that would watch for any surveillance or stray men whilst Bucky and Alina crept through the long grass and trees. 

“Stark, we’re in position Bucky said over the comms 

“As are we” Nat replied 

“Ready” Strange’s voice rocketed through

“Well then, let’s do this” Stark’s smirk radiated through the comms 

Moments after, he zoomed over head with Sam and Rhodey in tow. 

“Miss Everton, if you please” 

Alina opened her connection with the stones, settling on the power and reality stones to break down the generator. It took her a matter of moments before the shield promptly dropped and the trio in the sky began to shoot downwards. 

As they did so, agents came swarming out of the base to check the security breach and immediately began shooting. Alina ducked behind a tree as Bucky shot around her. There were a few strangled gasps as Nat, Clint, Hope and Scott moved in from the side, swiftly taking out the remaining agents. 

Alina peered out from behind her tree and Nat gave her a cheeky salute before they all disappeared inside of the base. As she did so, Alina, Bucky and Peter moved out from behind their cover. Peter latched himself onto the side of a vacant turret, watching for movement whilst Bucky covered Alina’s flank as she continuously poured energy into the Quantum Generator. 

“That generator is some advanced quantum tech” she heard Hope’s voice crackle

“You doing okay Alina?” Steve asked

“Yeah. Quiet out here, just focussing on keeping this thing down” she muttered in return. If she was honest, she could feel the power surges from the quantum fields it was putting off and they hurt minimally. Nothing major, she thought. 

From their position outside, they could hear the firing of weapons and the yelling of people; both their own and of the base. 

“Guys we got a straggler!” Peter yelled from the trees

Bucky promptly took him out. 

“Dude” Peter responded 

Alina rolled her eyes at the pair and continued to focus on the generator. The mission appeared to be going fairly smoothly from what they could hear. A half hour passed and Nat’s group came shooting out of the front doors of the base at a full tilt run. \

“Jesus give us some warning next time” Bucky growled, his gun still raised 

“You got everything, Romanoff?” Tony’s voice sounded 

“Roger that” 

“Get back to the jet and protect that information” Steve demanded 

Bucky nodded to the four of them and they took off back through the forest, leaving only slight indentations in the grass behind them. 

“Any more men left?” Tony asked 

“Think we’re clear” Steve said

“We’re heading back to the jet now” Strange confirmed. 

Alina realised they must’ve taken the back way around, hence why they weren’t coming out the front barrier doors. 

Suddenly there were footsteps. 

“UH WE ARE NOT CLEAR” Peter half yelled down the comms

It gave Alina and Bucky enough foresight to square themselves and 5 more men appeared from the base, all armoured to the teeth. They began to fight, while Peter did his best to incapacitate them with his webbing whilst also not being shot. They had taken down three of the men when Alina could’ve sworn she saw someone else move out of the building. A flash of dirty blonde hair and lean muscle disappeared around the corner. She froze trying to identify what looked familiar to her. 

Her mistake.

In the moments which she froze, Bucky had no one to cover his flank and she only just managed to prevent a bullet going into the back of his head by freezing it in the air. He gave her a look and she simply shook her head dismissively before taking out the remaining two agents. 

“I think there’s another one somewhere” she muttered 

“I didn’t see anyone. Peter?” Bucky yelled up

“No Mr. Barnes” Peter replied politely 

Alina shook her head and continued to pour her focus onto the generator. 

“You guys okay?” Clint’s voice sounded 

“Fine and dandy, just a few strays” Bucky replied 

“Okay well I’ve got the jet ready to go” he answered 

“Alina, everyone’s out. You’re done, dont worry about the generator Nat dropped a remote bomb on it on the way out” 

“Okay” she dropped her hold on the generator and looked to Bucky and Peter. 

“Fall back. We’re about to blow this bitch up” Rhodey grinned from the air

Bucky, Peter and Alina turned and began to move through the forest at pace. Behind them, the base began to blow up in a fiery cascade. As they moved quicker, Alina could’ve sworn she saw that same dirty blonde hair again, moving parallel to them. She shook it off. Peter would’ve seen them. 

A moment later, they passed through a small clearing in the sparse forest and that’s when she froze. On the parallel side stood a man, smiling back at her with a cocky confidence. His dirty blonde hair fell around his sharp features. It was unmistakable. It was Jasper. 

She stared back in shock whilst Bucky and Peter continued to move ahead of her. As she froze, there was a strange pop which caused both herself and Jasper to look to the side. Behind her, stood a left over agent, gun raised. Alina looked down to see her shoulder beginning to spill out blood. Bucky turned at the sound and his eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation, he raised his own weapon and dropped the man to the ground. Alina looked back to where Jasper was standing. He was gone. 

The whole scene moved like a fever dream. Slow motion spinning as she realised the bullet had to be poisoned. As her body gave way, she felt Bucky scoop her up in his arms. 

“Alina’s down” his voice rang out 

“What” Tony’s reply pierced into the silence 

“You guys didn’t finish off all those men. She’s been shot” he replied through laboured breathing as he began to run

Alina stared up at him as she felt the poison course through her body. How was Jasper here? Why was he here? Was he like himself from when she first met him or was he the twisted, evil creature from her hallucinations? 

She began losing consciousness as they approached the jet. Vaguely, she could hear Peter panicking to the group. 

“I should’ve seen him! How did I not see him?! I usually sense the…” 

“Its not your fault ki-” Tony audibly trailed off as Bucky came into view

“JARVIS call Bruce, have the lab set up” Tony instead continued 

Still half conscious she felt her body being lowered and the Quinjet taking off. There was tampering as gently hands hooked her up to was presumably an IV and began prodding her wound. 

“What happened?” Strange asked in a sharp tone 

“I dont really know”

“How do you not know? You were both right there with her” Strange nodded to Peter and Bucky 

“Strange cool it. Peter, why were you so far ahead of Barnes and Everton?” Nat asked calmly

Peter seemed to pause at this before replying. “I.. don’t know. I just had this urge to go ahead.” 

“Like your senses, kid?” Clint asked from the pilots seat

“Nah man… like.. Kinda but not the same. Im so sorry Mr Stark” 

“Dont worry about it Pete” Stark replied 

“What about you, Soldier?” Loki asked Bucky 

“She wasn’t that far behind me but she was stopped dead still by the time I heard the gun fire. It was weird. Kinda like something else distracted her” 

“Not the gunman?” Steve asked as he applied pressure to Alina’s shoulder

“No… She was looking off to the side like something or someone else was there”

“Could’ve been anything…” Bucky shrugged in response

“We’ll have to wait till she wakes up. Clearly more went on in the Quantum Realm than she has confided in us” Steve replied, gesturing to Dragonfang, which he had unsheathed off of her shoulder.

“She’ll be ok?” Thor rumbled, crossing his arms 

“Bullet’s poisoned but I am pretty sure it’s one im familiar with.” Tony answered, nudging the wound with his finger tip. “She’ll be fine”

That was all she heard of their conversation however as she promptly lost consciousness. 

//

Waking up in a med bay was becoming such a common occurrence that it felt like deja vu by this point. She moved through the motions of waking, shifting, stretching and then checking her wound to realise that, of course, it was no longer there. The cradle was becoming so advanced that being shot at this stage was the same tier to them as getting a paper cut. 

She groaned, sat up and stretched out slowly as she considered the nuances of the machine she helped to bring to life. Shaking her head, the memory of that open glade in the forest came back to her. 

Jasper. 

She rubbed her now healed shoulder as she considered this. It seemed he had not intended on her getting shot as she recalled the shocked look on his face as the pop of the gun went off. She remembered the weird surge of fear and power she got when she looked at him and connected it with the strange feelings she would get about the Quantum Realm. 

Standing, one thought rang loud in her mind; she needed to speak to Peter. 


	39. Let's do this

“Hey” she mumbled, pushing her hair back as she moved into the kitchen, dismissively gesturing towards the living room where a number of the team sat. 

 

“She lives!” Clint exclaimed lightheartedly 

 

“She bloody hurts is whats up” Alina replied as she began to make herself a coffee

 

“Cradle not treating you right?” Tony asked 

 

“That thing is dangerous Stark, I’m telling you now” She shrugged, stretching out her shoulders 

 

Loki meandered into the kitchen after her. Like the others, he was somewhat curious as to her renewed self and the regaining of confidence. It was as if being shot had hit the reset button. He gently slipped an arm around her waist and to his surprise, she didn’t flinch. Rather, she gave him a small smile and continued to finish making her drink. 

Loki locked eyes with Clint who gave a shrug and a small hand gesture that conveyed not to push it.

 

“Where’s Peter?” Alina asked as she scanned the room

 

“Back with his Aunt for the weekend. He needed a bit of normality” Tony replied calmly

Alina shrugged. “When’s he back?” she queried 

 

“Uh, tomorrow. Why?” 

 

“I need to speak with him” 

 

“Dont worry. He already knows it wasn’t his fault - We had a word with him” Nat explained 

 

“No” Alina shook her head “It’s not that, it’s something… else” she trailed off thoughtfully 

 

There was a small pause. 

“Alina, when you got shot you weren’t looking at the gunman. You seemed to be distracted by something else” Bucky inferred his question 

“I just could’ve swore I saw someone parallel to you. I stopped to get a good look” she lied swiftly 

“How did none of you three see or hear the gunman though?” Steve asked 

“Indeed, young Peter should’ve sensed it at the very least” Thor offered, standing beside Steve with his arms crossed 

“I dont know.” Alina shook her head 

“Neither. For some reason I just had tunnel vision and could only think about getting to the jet. Then, as soon as the gun went off it’s like I snapped out of it” Bucky agreed

“A slip up but one nonetheless” Steve nodded 

“Anyway, what did we find from that base?” Alina asked 

The room tensed up. They were yet to look at the files in detail as JARVIS was still decrypting them but the technology and weaponry they had discovered inside suggested that whatever research being done was advanced and above their pay rate. It was also a well established base which had been flying under their radar successfully for quite some time. Natasha and Clint were guessing years. 

“Jarvis only finished decrypting the files a half hour ago. We haven’t looked at them yet but judging by what we saw inside, there was some advanced quantum tech that suggested human testing at the very least” Steve answered solemnly

“Any victims…?” Alina asked curiously 

Steve shook his head. “Not that we could see. Either something happened and they were long gone or the programme was scrapped a while back” 

“Alrighhttyy let’s crack this baby open” Tony interrupted, stretching his fingers out in front of him

He brought up the blue hologram and immediately started spreading files all over the place. They were a mix of documents, medical records, scientific reports, photos, videos and even news articles. As they stood around, Nat, Tony, Alina, Hank, Steve, Bruce and Bucky began sifting through a separate area each. 

“Looks like any testing they did on subjects ended with them being… not so alive” Bruce confirmed as he swiped through an unsettling number of death reports 

“Wait! Not that one” Nat snapped, pulling up the only closed file in the lot that didn’t have ‘deceased’ stamped on it 

Bruce swiped it open. The room went quiet. In front of them, hovering in the flickering blue of Tony’s hologram, was Demetri Aliyev’s photo. 

“Well… that explains… a lot” Alina said dryly, surprising the room with her onset of calmness. 

She mulled over the picture and stepped in front of Bruce to widen the file up to the room. What she gathered was essentially that Demetri had been found in the snow after they shot down his jet in Russia. Like Bucky he had been picked up and tested on except it appeared that this testing was very much different from anything Bucky had gone through. Voluntary, for starters. 

“Quantum Fusion” Hank nodded to her queried look at some of the scientific jargon. This was not, after all, her area of expertise. 

“Wanna explain, doc” Sam asked from the couch where he was lounging.

“As we’re all well aware by now, the Quantum Realm is an unlimited source of energy. It is the gateway to other realities but of itself, it exists with it’s own beings and creatures. A sort of sentience if you will. These creatures harness that energy to live however they are consistently within the Quantum Realm itself so it has no outward effect. Quantum Fusioning, is in theory, the practice of fusing quantum energy into someone or somethings genetic makeup. It could be a one off thing but theoretically the more quantum energy they took in, the more affected they would be” 

“Huh… Well there’s those answers we were looking for… like, a year ago” Clint pointed nonchalantly at the hologram

“You knew this man?” Janet asked 

“Yeah. He had weird mind control powers” Rhodey nodded 

“That… makes sense. Quantum Fusioning is much like anything else of that sector. It causes a genetic mutation which could, in theory, give the occupant certain abilities” 

“Even over Gods?” Thor queried 

“Indeed. Quantum Energy is not bias - it has existed long before you” Hank nodded 

Loki rolled his eyes. 

“But this Demetri is dead?” Janet asked 

Steve nodded solemnly. As he did so, Alina flicked up a video. It was Demetri, strapped to a chair with a number of scientists and agents around him. He was laughing and seemed comfortable, talking with someone out of shot. 

The team gathered around curiously to watch the eerie video. The man Demetri was talking to stepped into shot and Alina felt her stomach drop. The dirty blonde hair and sharp features were unmistakable even in the shitty video quality. It was most definitely Jasper. 

“Who’s that?” Tony asked the screen more than anyone else 

“I don’t recognise him” Bucky remarked, looking to Natasha for confirmation. She too shook her head. 

Internally, Alina tried to process the information she was being presented with. Her mind worked triple time dissecting what was infront of her and what had happened both in the alternate realities and her hallucination. The reality she first met Jasper in had indicated that he was not a bad guy. Her hallucinatory experience however told her something different. 

It just didn’t line up. Her mind drifted back to his explanation of the SHIELD regime testing on people and how he had escaped them in the final reality she had gotten stuck in. It seemed eerily similar to the video testing on Demetri in front of her. But, this video was taken a while ago, well before she even had knowledge of the Quantum Realm. And it wasn’t that reality she was in, nor was it him being tested upon.

“... but keep looking, see if he comes up again” she zoned back in to hear Steve finishing off

“I’ll have JARVIS run facial and voice recognition on him - see if he comes up again anywhere else” Tony answered 

“As for now, guess we’ve got a bit of stuff to go through” Steve continued 

“Yeah I’ll have a copy sent upstate to Fury - see if he can dig anything up” Clint nodded

“I swear to god if this is shield again…” Sam began

“No” Steve shook his head “This is private. It had to be” 

“I agree with Captain Rogers. If SHIELD had their hands and knowledge on Quantum Technology, more people would know about it” Hank interjected

“Right well, let’s get started then” Alina nodded

// 

She spent all evening and well into the next morning pouring over the files, looking for any hints or traces of Jasper or anomalies which may give her leads into the connections between the Jasper she met, her hallucination and Demetri. Frustratingly, with so much content, she came up short. 

The team noticed this. She hadn’t been so invested in their work since well before the Quantum Realm incident. The next morning she was deep in discussion with Hank and Tony about their pieces of the puzzle when Peter walked in. 

“Ali!” he yelled 

“Hey Pete” she smiled 

“Look, I am SO sorry about -”

“Dont worry about it. Things happen, can’t blame yourself ok?” 

He nodded repeatedly in response. She threw and arm around his shoulder and used it to guide him out of the room while they spoke. 

“We need to talk” she muttered, arm still around his shoulders as she smiled casually at Steve who was walking past them towards the room Tony and Hank had continued their discussion in. 

“Uhhh is this about you getting shot cause I -” 

“No. Well, kinda” 

“Ali I -” 

She started laughing over his words as they walked past Scott and Thor in the hallway, cutting him off in order to conceal her direction. 

“Ali?” 

“Sh, just pretend we’re having a normal conversation okay?” 

He half laughed in response as they zipped past Clint, giving him a small smile as they slipped into the elevator. The ride down was silent, the tension being broken only by Peter’s curious sideways glances at Alina. Every now and then she would return them as she rocked back and forth on her heels casually. 

Finally, they made it through the hallways to the downstairs lab that Alina had claimed as her own a few years ago. She pushed herself onto a wheelie chair and looked at Peter expectantly. 

“So.. uh can I ask questions now?” he queried, confused 

She nodded in response and gave a waving hand gesture in response, opening the room to his torrent of questions. 

“Um. Why are we down in your lab and why are we hiding what we’re talking about from the others and why do you seem a lot better - not that that’s a bad thing - and, why do you need me?” 

“We’re down in my lab for equipment and privacy, we’re hiding this from the others because I want to run this by you first, I’m a lot better because things are finally starting to come together and I need you because I trust you not to: a) freak out and b) throw some stupid quantum realm jargon bullshit questions at me” 

“Okay shoot” he said 

She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Uh.. I mean.. Go ahead?” he tried to redeem himself. She smirked in response and shuffled her chair closer to him.

“You know how we were trying to figure out why I was getting those surges of power and fear surrounding the Quantum Realm?” 

Peter nodded earnestly

“Well, I think I know why” 

He immediately leaned forward on his knees, alert. 

“Well there was someone I met while I was in the Quantum Realm - For real, not my hallucination.” She continued “This particular reality, the Avengers existed in a twisted evil way and he had been tested on by them. He was the one who knew where a Quantum Generator was and helped me back into the Quantum Realm. I should’ve been suspicious of it but at the time I just… I didn’t think much of it. Anyway, he also appeared as one of the main features of my hallucination except he was, well, he was evil and twisted and had built on his mutant powers he had in the reality I met him in” 

“Right… what were his powers?” 

“He could read thoughts and subsequently control you against your will”

“What does that have to do with you and the Quantum Realm though Ali?”

“Because… The reason I was distracted when I got shot was because I saw him” 

“He shot you!?” 

“No. He was standing in the field parallel to us. I stopped to look and we caught eyes. Then I heard the pop of the gun and when I looked back to where he had been stood, he was gone. When I saw him I felt that same surge of fear and power but far stronger”

“You think he’s got something to do with all of this?”

“Think about it. HE got me out of the loop I was stuck in. HE knew where the quantum generator was. HE was the one with prevalent mutant powers. HE showed up in my hallucination consistently. And… just before when we were reviewing footage from that research facility… he showed up in it, testing on someone who had a strange obsession with me and had similar mutant powers to him albeit nowhere near as powerful” 

“He’s what the Quantum Realm is warning you about” Peter nodded 

“I just dont quite understand why. Sure, he may be a threat but why would the Quantum Realm warn me?” 

“I dont know but maybe Dr Pym would…” Peter trailed off in a rather pointed fashion

Alina made eye contact with him, not saying a word as she had gathered what he was implying.

“Perhaps it is time to tell them” she nodded “JARVIS please call a meeting in the living room, have everyone attend” 

“Right away Doctor” JARVIS hummed out in his usual melancholy tone

“Lets do this spiderboy” 


	40. Limited Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter before the action kick starts again. Hope you enjoy :)

“So does anyone know why we were called in here or are we all just guessing?” Tony asked the congregated group in the living room. He was met with the shake of heads and shrugs 

“Well, given the fact that the child and Alina are not in the room, I would infer it has something to do with them” Loki rolled his eyes

“No need to get snappy now Loki” Stark shot back, tensions rising as they waited nervously

Before it could turn into a full blown argument, Alina pushed open the glazed glass door and entered the room with Peter in tow. 

“Sit down” she directed, gesturing to the room at large

As they all took a seat, she grabbed the spare desk chair that Clint liked to keep in the living room to perform stunts on, and sat backwards on it in order to lean over the back rest. Peter stood to the side of her, arms behind his back attempting to look professional and serious.

Alina glanced up at him, a small smile tweaking her lips. 

“Sit down Peter” she said gently

He fumbled a little before quickly dragging over a bar stool. It screeched on the ground as he did so and Tony noticeably winced as he stared at the commotion. 

“We need to talk, for everyone’s safety” she began, the attention snapping back to her. Even Loki stared on in concern. “Im sure you’re all well aware that we haven’t spoken on what happened with the Quantum Realm. In light of recent events, it’s time we did”

Hank leant forward on his seat in earnest. 

“What’s brought this on?” Bruce probed

“You’ll realise in due time” 

“Go on” Hank ushered, earning a nudge from Janet. 

Alina made waning eye contact before launching into her explanation. She explained all of the realities she got stuck in, the different avengers or lack of, what had happened and why she came out bleeding. They all nodded along in awe of the experience as she explained what had happened after her and Strange’s astral projections promptly disappeared. She explained the Ancient One and how she got Dragon Fang and she talked of her final realities and the evil Avengers. Finally she got to her hallucination. 

“You’re aware i hallucinated up a life. At first, I came out of the Quantum Realm with the stab wound and woke up to what i assumed was reality 0 with great relief. From there, I went about my life as we would do. It had only been 2 or 3 months that I was gone in this hallucination as opposed to the 9 I was gone from this one. I suffered from Molecular Disequilibrium at first but it was soon fixed by Peter and Shuri, although we thought I may die for a while”

She paused as she caught eyes with Steve who gave her a gentle, sad smile.

“After that, the Quantum Tunnel opened while you were all on a mission where you ended up being captured. Two people came through from an alternate reality accusing us of messing with other realities for years. We went to rescue you and discovered that it was someone else, who had a quantum tunnel who was attempting to build an army of enhanced using quantum fusioning. I stripped him of his powers. Things were peaceful after that. We began planning the wedding, although we accidentally ended up in a war in Vanaheim on my bachelorette party. When Scott found me and pulled me back here, snapping me out of the hallucination, I was on the alter with Loki” 

“Jesus kid…” Tony trailed off as they all took in the weight of her journey and realised the difficulty she must have differentiating not just between realities but between her hallucination, this reality and all the others. 

“But that… that’s just childs play” Alina continued 

“You said for everyone’s protection?” Nat probed 

“I mentioned a man I met in the final alternate reality I was in. His name was Jasper and he claimed to have escaped testing done on him by the corrupt Avengers there. He could  read thoughts and knew where there was a Quantum Tunnel in that realm. At the time I thought little of it, grateful he knew how to get me back into the Quantum Realm. But then…. Then he appeared in my hallucination as the man i just explained to you as creating an army”    
  
“But that was just a figment of your imagination in that case” Pym pointed out. 

“Perhaps. I thought so myself Doctor. After all, the only tangible Jasper I met was the one who helped me back here. He certainly existed in that reality. I wondered upon returning here which one was the real him but I put it to rest, assuming my hallucinatory experience was simply a matter of past people and things I had come in contact with. Until a few days ago. The reason I got shot was because I saw him, standing on the treeline parallel to me. It appeared he did not intend on me being hurt as he looked just as surprised as I did to hear the gunshot. By the time i looked back he was gone.”

“We think the Quantum Realm, all these surges of power and perhaps the hallucination, were trying to warn Ali about this guy” Peter added

“The reason Peter and Bucky felt that strange urge to get back to the jet despite all order and training to stay together is because Jasper can influence actions to an extent. I didnt know what to think of this until I saw the footage of Demetri Aliyev being tested on earlier today. The blonde man laughing and seemingly conducting affairs…. That is Jasper” 

There was dead silence as the room processed everything. There was a lot to take in and they were finally coming to terms with why Alina reacted so harshly upon being pulled out of the Quantum Realm.

“This Jasper is a threat” Steve said solemnly 

“Possibly. You understand my confusion. My negative hallucination of him was just that… a hallucination. But the positive meeting of him was in another reality and if my hallucination really was the Quantum Realm warning me then it goes to say that he implanted himself in that reality to cross paths with me and see which reality i ended back up in”

“Why would the Quantum Realm warn you though?” Clint asked

“Sentience” Hank replied “The realm is, to an extent, sentient. If he really is attempting to build an army of enhanced via Quantum Fusioning it would drain energy from the Quantum realm and in order the sustain it, the realm would start destroying other realities, destabilising the fabric of spacetime” 

“Exactly” Alina murmured 

“So what do we do” Scott asked 

Before anybody else could speak, Alina interjected. 

  
“That base we raided may very well have been some of his work. We need to compile everything we have on it and on Jasper. Most importantly, we have to kill him”

There was an odd static noise. 

“How very cavalier of you Ali”

The team whipped around. In the kitchen, behind the bar stood Jasper. Steve immediately rocketed to his feet, fists clenched and ready to fight. Strange was one step ahead of him, hurling a golden rune at the figure. It flew straight through him and dissipated. 

“Im not really here you know” he smiled, glancing to where the rune had merged into the wall behind him and rolling his eyes. 

Alina’s mouth was open in disbelief as she quickly pulled Peter off of the barstool and threw him behind her so that he was protected by the rest of the team. Jasper raised his eyebrows and seemed to laugh at her movement in an odd way. It came across nostalgic, as if he recognised her well enough. 

“Always one to make the sacrifice play” he smiled, stepping forward and casually looking around “You know I was surprised it took you this long to figure out. Then again, the Quantum Realm did do a number on you” 

“What do you want?” Hank asked, earning a glance from Jasper. His attention immediately turned back to Alina.

“You have a unique connection with the Quantum Realm Ali. Those Infinity stones are really something else. Pain in my ass you know. Always seemed to get in the way right as I was trying to find you”    
  
Alina gasped. 

Her mind flashed back to her alternate realities. The lab exploding had the tesseract in it. The Ancient One had the time stone. The Lab with the scepter in it. Her touching a stone by Loki’s dead body. The only realm she had exited without the stones had been the final one. The one in which Jasper had let her out of. The realisation hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had been hunted. 

“Why did you let me out of the reality then? Why show me the Quantum generator?” she asked 

“Because, Everton, I needed you in a neutral realm like this one. One that was too corrupt had too much of a chance of being destroyed, or interference coming into play. I figured I would simply send you back into the Quantum Realm and then follow you there before dragging you out into the likes of this reality. But like I said, the Quantum Realm really did a number on you. Sent you somewhere I did not predict and then that imbecile over there pulled you out before I could. Really put a dent in my plans”

“Well sorry for the inconvenience” Scott snarked 

“Why are you telling us all this?” Thor queried suspisciously 

“Because it doesnt matter now. Im here. She’s here. It’s only a matter of time before our paths cross again”

“What do you want?” Alina’s teeth were gritted and her eyes were faintly glowing gold

“Now that I really cant talk about yet. Let’s just say your resilience and power is useful”

“Jasper -” she began but was cut off as he turned and his hologram disappeared from view. 

The whole room was dead silent as Alina stood with her back to them, fists clenched and glowing. Slowly, she turned and the look in her eyes was darker than anything they had ever seen. She was out for blood. 

“This… Jasper. Is an interdimensional being…” Hank trailed off with a serious thoughtfulness

“Hank?” Tony asked 

There was a long silence as Hank and Alina stared one another down. Both understood the gravity of the words just spoken. Jasper did not need to elaborate on what he needed Alina for - it was already clear as such. 

“He wants to control her power…. Harness it to not just draw quantum energy from the realm but to destroy those of his choosing”

“He could do that?” Nat asked 

“With a combination of the infinity stones and a relationship with the quantum realm… yes he could” 

“So we kill him” Loki said bluntly

“It’s not that simple” Alina finally spoke out. Her voice was grave as she began to understand the implications of Jaspers nefarious plan. 

“What do you mean? If he’s dead that's it?” Peter queried innocently 

“No.. he’s set up a foolproof plan in his mind” Hank elaborated 

“Being?” Bucky asked 

Alina glanced around the room, her head raising slowly. 

“Even if we kill him right now, in this reality when he comes for me - which he will, it wont stop there. He technically still would exist in the other realities he chased me through. Time and Space in the Quantum Realm works differently. Just because he’s dead here doesn't mean he’s dead in those other realities which appear to move slower than this one. He’s created an infinite loop. We kill him here and now and another one pops up”

The room was dead silent. When Clint finally spoke it was as if a butter knife was cutting the tension. 

“So what do we do?” 

“We have two options” Hank muttered, glancing to Alina nervously. She nodded. She knew what those options were and while afraid, she did not have much choice in the matter considering the third option was to simply allow Jasper to carry out his plan, controlling her, killing trillions and destroying entire realities. 

“What are they?” Peter asked with an innocent determination. 

“Option One: you kill me” 

The heads in the room snapped up with such force she could hear the whiplash. Their eyes were wide with fear, desperation and confusion at her suggestion. 

“Absolutely not” Loki growled 

“Pros would be he would have no way of extensively accessing the quantum realms inherent power. You could just continuously kill him as he popped up. Cons would be he could potentially still find a way to follow through or - if you guys lost track of him, could pull me from another reality in the past” 

“And you’d be dead. Thats a con” Scott pointed out

She stared him down.

“Yes”

“And option two?” Natasha asked somewhat desperately 

“Option two: we enter the quantum realm and go back to each reality I was in at the exact moment after I left it - the exact moment Jasper turns up and we kill him. By doing this, we would get rid of the possibility of this realities Jasper having a back up plan. Once we do this, we return to this reality and kill this Jasper too. Eliminating the threat”   
  
“That one sounds better” Thor shrugged 

Alina made brief eye contact before sighing and looking to the floor. 

“Pros: it would eliminate the threat, there would be no backup for him and it’s the most foolproof way of completely eliminating him” 

“And you dont die” Hope pointed out

“Yes and I dont die. Cons; we have to figure out a way to direct ourselves into those past realities. There is the potential of getting lost if we do not execute it properly If we mess up we mess up well and good and… I would have to go back into the Quantum Realm”   
  


“We could do the mission without you?” Peter suggested 

“First of all, you’re not going in there” Alina replied with raised eyebrows. Peter went to argue but she was having none of it. “You’ve got too much to lose kid and second, it has to be me in the team. I know exactly what happens in those realities, how Jasper functions, and how each of the alternate avengers will react. There’s a much larger chance of us fucking this if Im not there”

Everybody considered this for a short while. It was mostly silence. These were huge stakes but the stakes of not doing anything were so much higher. Loki looked at the woman he loved and Jaspers voice rang in his head.    
  
_ “Always one to make the sacrifice play” _

This time, it seemed they had no choice. This could very well be a suicide mission if they even found out how to direct themselves within the Quantum Realm before Jasper got his hands on Alina. Loki knew then and there that he would be part of the team going in no matter what. If something went wrong, if they were to die or to get trapped in there forever he was not letting her go at it alone again and he was certainly not living a life without her. Those long months where she had been in the Quantum Realm had been nothing but a lonely hell for him. Despite being surrounded by the Avengers, he felt reminiscent of his time as a young adult on Asgard. Alina was his home and he’d do his damndest to stay by her side.

“Give us some time. Hank, Bruce, Janet and I will work on traversing the Quantum Realm. If we can, that’s our main option” Tony finally spoke

“And until then, no one goes anywhere. We’re on lockdown. I dont want incoming messages, holograms, people or scientists in or out of the tower.” Steve elaborated

They all nodded. Time was now of the essence.


	41. Reconciliation

The following week was constant work. Nobody left the tower, not even Peter who Tony was worried might get captured and used as a pawn to sway Alina off of option two. They had learned from their past mistakes and there was no time or stakes to make them again.

Alina moved in between helping the scientists and being as far away from them as possible as she came to terms with the options they were dealing with. Today was day 4 and she was sat in the lab with Bruce, Tony, Hank, Janet, Strange and Loki. She had neurotransmitters attached to her head and was doing her best to recount, in detail everything she had experienced in the quantum realm and the alternate realities. This ranged between rather obvious things right down to the tiniest detail such as street signs she remembered, potential times and dates, things she smelt, overheard conversations and so on. It was only now that they were beginning to realise the true extent of Alina’s experience. This was no mere small thing any more. Instead, she was recounting as if she lived several different lives several different times. She spoke at length on her emotions, losing them repeatedly, deaths, Thanos, relationships within the realms. Her tenseness heightened when describing dropping in and out of the realms. 

“So what, it feels like a vortex?” Bruce asked 

“Yes and no. It’s like every molecule in your body being ripped apart over and over. It becomes exhausting. By the 3rd or 4th time i could barely keep consciousness upon being thrown back into the Quantum Realm and by the final time I was completely unconscious when entering the corrupted reality”

“So we need to make suits. Something that will sustain molecular disequilibrium” Janet murmured

“Okay. We’ll leave it here for now and work with what we have” Tony nodded, patting Alina on the shoulder gently as bruce detangled the wires from her and she hopped off the bench. She was always left with a despondent heavy feeling after having to recount her journey in the quantum realm. Part of it was deju vu - having to explain herself over and over. The other part was the potential pointlessness of it. How many times had she explained herself over and over again in different realities only for nothing to come of it? This time however she had a fighting chance at a happy life. It was the only thing forcing her to suppress her feelings of fear and anxiety that she had been harbouring for so long. So deep in thought, she barely noticed when Loki laced his hand with hers as they walked down the corridor. 

She glanced up at him with a somber look and he looked back with equal worry. 

“We’re going to be okay” he said softly 

“I hope so Loki” 

“We will. Im not letting anything happen to you in there” 

She glanced at him with a look of reserved curiosity. 

“Nothing lasts forever”

“Perhaps not but we’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure it lasts a little longer” he smiled 

She laughed in response.

“Always so pedantic Loki!” 

There was a cheeky, teasing nature to her tone that he had not heard in a long time. His eyebrows furrowed as he smiled and pushed her hair back from over her face.

“Well I learned from the best” he said breathily 

“I thought you and Strange were at odds” she shot back 

He rolled his eyes and faked hurt. When he met eyes with her again, both their devilish smiles softened and Loki placed a hand on her waist, the other cupping her cheek gently. 

“I love you” she said quietly, not breaking her eye contact nor her soft smile. For once, finally, this felt right. 

Loki was so surprised at her words he teared up. Never again did he think she’d let him touch her without flinching let alone would he hear those words come out of her mouth. Gently, so as not to surprise her he lent down and planted his lips against hers. It had been so long since he had even touched her and how he had missed her soft lips and long hair as he ran his hands through it, keeping it back from their faces.    
  
“I love you too” he mumbled against her lips before tilting her chin and pressing down again, pulling her in closer by her waist as she wrapped both arms around his neck. There was a click and a flash and they both broke apart, Alina’s arms still around Loki’s neck as they looked to the side for the source. 

Scott, Clint and Peter stood there, phones in hand.

“Seriously?” Alina asked 

“Im making a scrap book!” Scott defended sheepishly

Loki chuckled before picking Alina up in his arms. Scott took another photo, joined by the other pair before Loki turned, alina still in his arms, and walked off down the hallway. 

“I thought it was time to escape them, dont you agree?” he laughed

“Oh? I thought Asgards next top model would’ve posed for more pictures” 

He raised his eyebrows at her before pretending to drop her out of his arms. 

“Hey!” She yelled, tightening her grip around his neck

“Only joking” he smirked “now, how about some privacy?” 

//

Thor was elated to see his brother in higher spirits. The next day he was all determination and smiles as he went about explaining any relevant asgardian magic and working with Strange and the scientists to hammer out the semantics of the plan. He and Strange were tasked with a backup if anything went wrong. With both of them having extensive knowledge on the Quantum Realm in a manner different to the others, they were busy working out how strange could potentially use Astral projection to help them.

While this went on, Alina was training with Natasha, Clint, Bucky and Steve. They were getting claustrophobic being holed up in the tower and decided a good ass kicking could help them out.    
  
Alina had just caught one of Clint’s arrows with a sarcastic raise of the brows when Natasha managed to get a foot into the back of her knees, sending her to the ground. Clint burst out laughing which spread across the gym. 

“Yeah yeah yeah laugh all you like” Alina humorously grumbled as Steve extended a hand and pulled her to her feet. 

“Hey! Fair game!” Clint grinned as he jumped from the rafters and Alina used her abilities to soften his fall. He saluted her upon landing before coming and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

“Fair game, perhaps. Doesn’t mean I am not going to get you back” she poked him in the stomach with an arrow and he feigned death on the floor.

Her, Nat, Bucky and Steve all stood with amused smiles and crossed arms watching him. 

“Oh - oh no… the light… it’s fading I have one last wish please”

Steve started laughing. 

“You must… you must attach all kitchen magnets to Barnes’ arm… it is my.. Dying wish pleaseeee” 

Alina started laughing and Bucky rolled his eyes. 

“Like.. all of them because that might be difficult” Nat replied 

Clint sat up slightly. 

“Oh im sorry is this your dying wish!?” he chided, causing her and Bucky to begin laughing too. 

“Okay I think we’re done with training for the day” Steve commented as they began to head upstairs to check on the others. 

The rest of the group were in the living room, going over and comparing notes on Hydra facilities, quantum knowledge, and what Alina had divulged to them in detail. The five entered the room and immediately joined in. With Alina now present, they asked their clarification questions, taking notes and carefully probing for any more possible details that could be important. As all of them thought differently, they were able to extract different pieces of information, adding to the scrawled upon piles of paper and ramping up discussion. They were talking about the Kamar Taj in the second reality when Tony and the others came down from the lab, a firm look on their faces.

“We’re close, possibly - we think” Tony said to their queried looks and walking behind the bar, pouring himself a drink. 

“But we only have limited room to send people in if our theory is correct” Janet continued softly 

They all looked towards her curiously and Hank sighed before elaborating. 

“If our theory does indeed work, the more people we send in the more likely it is that we either lose one of those people or Jasper is able to manipulate them. There’s only a certain number of pym particles available. Enough for a round trip to each of those realities and back for 6 people” 

“Alina is obviously one of those five” Bruce said nervously 

“Bruce, Hank, Janet, Hope, Sam and Rhodey will most definitely not be going. We need all of you here for the science side of things and for security and knowledge of the tower” Tony nodded 

“I should choose” Alina pitched in quietly

The room looked at her, a mixture of raised eyebrows and curious glances. 

“I know these realities better than anyone. I understand the Quantum Realm and I know how Jasper functions. I should choose who comes with me”

“Alright kid youve got a point” Tony shrugged 

“Clint isn’t coming and neither is Peter” she continued, they both glared in protest but she waved them down. “You’ve got a family Clint and Peter, you’re way too young the world still needs heroes”

“Okay then…” Peter sighed 

“Is there anyone who wants to voluntarily opt out?” Alina pitched, an even look surveying the group in front of her. They all shook their heads.

“Alright well Loki has given me no choice but to let him come” she smiled and Loki nodded, appreciative of her lack of arguing. “Strange, if you’re up for it, I think you’d be a good choice. Having Three magic wielders should give us fair odds in the case of anything going wrong in alternate realities”

“I was going to come anyway” he replied, she rolled her eyes

“Natasha?” Alina asked 

“It would be an honour” she winked 

“Thor I need you to stay here” Alina directed “In the case of Jasper showing up, having an Asgardian here could be helpful. Along with Rhodey, Sam, Bucky and Scott you should have a good team together” 

“As you wish, Lady Everton”

“Steve and Tony?”

“Gosh I thought you’d never ask” Tony teased 

“There’s a team then” Alina nodded to Hank who appeared to consider it before nodding back. 

“Give us a few days to get the technicalities down” Janet said softly 

“In the meantime we probably want to be going over this information together a bit more. Alina we’re going to need you to give us a detailed rundown of the exact moment you left each reality so we know what we’re in for” Tony pitched in

Alina nodded and while Janet, Hank and Bruce all headed back to the labs she began her stories.    
  
“Okay so reality one. I was quite assimilated to you guys in that reality by this point. The SHIELD HQ compound was where all the Avengers now lived, including the extras; Wanda and Vision. I was sitting in the lab there. It’s a single floor layout, glass walls and doors and a corridor runs past it on the right hand side which leads into more labs and further into a massive hanger used as a training room. At the time, I believe there was a group training happening so it very well might mean our time is limited before we are confronted.”   
  
“Will they be hostile?” Steve asked 

“Quite possibly. Big explosion and then us appearing? Looks suspicious enough as is. Basically I was using the lab to look up various things. I couldnt think of the Himalayas so I was using the setting to jog my memory, try see if i could find anything on Strange. Tony and Bruce were there pottering around, I kind of zoned out while they tested on stuff. I suddenly heard yelling and Tony was running for me, towards the door. There was a blue pulse from the tesseract and then an explosion. I was back in the quantum realm at this point” 

“Reality two?”

“The Kamar Taj. This one might be easier. You see, after Astral projecting to you guys, i was trying to teach myself to do it without the Ancient One’s help. So I was sitting on an isolated mountain in the himalayas. I finally achieved it and when I returned to my physical form, the ancient one was there waiting for me. It was just the two of us and I asked her, jokingly, if this meant I was a master of the mystics now. She told me it was my time to leave and the stone on her chest glinted. Last thing I saw was her waving as I disappeared”

“Okay so that’s an easy one. Reckon she’ll be hostile?” Natasha asked

“No” Strange interjected “The Ancient One will know why we are there and why Jasper is there. She will not interfere” 

“Huh easy pickings then. Number three?” Tony continued as Natasha furiously scribbled 

“Number Three…. Is where I met Peter Parker.” she smiled at the boy before continuing “The tower was set up just like this one with an overhanging lab of the same dimensions. Peter and Ned had just made the suit that you sometimes see me in with the teal cape? Yeah well they’d decided to show me off. We got to the top of the stairs just there and the rest of you guys were sitting where we are now. Now that I think about it, we brushed the scepter on our way out. Anyway, I just kind of faded away in that one” 

“Hostile?” 

“Well I imagine you guys would be hostile if a random copy of you turned up immediately after that happens so yes, possibly”

“But the tower layout is the same so that gives us an advantage” Strange nodded 

“Alright Everton, number four” Tony gestured 

“Ah… Thanos’ reality” she sighed

Their heads all whipped up. 

“Oh you got to be shitting me right now” Steve growled

“He’s already dead by the time we get there dont worry.”

“Is this the one im an asshole in?” Strange asked, referring to Alina and his astral projection 

“How’s that any different to -” Tony began but Alina cut him off

“ANYWAY. We’re going to appear right at the end of the battle that happens at what we know as SHIELD HQ in the forest and lawn by the lake. Thanos and his army are dead. I… I was sitting by Loki’s body. He saved me from Corvus Glave but in the process, he got stabbed and bled out on the grass. Vision and Wanda from the first reality are in this one along with a great deal of the Asgardians. Um..” she choked up a little and Loki’s eyes became soft and concerned as she struggled to continue

Taking a shuddering breath, she carried on. 

“So.. Loki told me I had to get back here and as I leant back from his body I accidentally put my hand on the soul stone. You see, I shattered the Gauntlet and the stones went flying. When I touched the soul stone I was thrown back into the Quantum Realm” 

  
“I imagine it will definitely be hostile then” Clint pitched in, making himself a sandwich

“Yes well considering the context” 

They all nodded, allowing the silence to seep in for a moment as Alina stared at the floor. 

“Number five? Steve asked gently, attempting to move them along. 

“This one was… tough too” she murmured and Steve looked on sadly. His attempt to move on to perhaps a less traumatic reality had backfired spectacularly. 

“Yeah so this was the one on the helicarrier pre new york attack”  

Loki physically flinched, remembering her description of this reality and what he had done to her in it. She glanced to him as her peripheral sought out this flinch and gave him a small, reassuring smile. 

“Um we were on the roof of the tower. It was Stark, Thor Loki and I. I… Well, I put my hand into the energy field and I pulled out the tesseract and crushed it preventing the attack from going any further but as soon as I did so I began to buzz, same gold dust look as usual. As soon as I put the stone down I faded away”

“We’re definitely going to be seen as hostile there then” Steve pointed out, gesturing to Loki and Strange who he imagined would not be received well. 

Natasha continued to scribble furiously, glancing up with a roll of the eyes which may as well have said “duh”. Steve caught this and smirked back, his eyebrows raising as he pushed his fingers to his mouth pensively. 

“Okay number 6” Tony grinned, looking at natasha 

“This one…. May be an issue. It is the corrupted, and final one” 

The room went quiet. They all looked at her. This was the reality where their worst selves were ever present. 

“I… we got to the quantum generator and everyone is fighting. Tony goes to stab one of the  enhanced but I got in the way. I froze Steve to nothingness and stabbed…. I… I stabbed tony in the heart. Pietro - the fast one if you remember, grabbed me and sped me to the generator. Just before I left, I trapped Loki and Thor in infinite time loops. If I remember correctly, Jasper was at the control panel which was located directly in front of the generator, much like Hank’s original design”

“So who else will be there after you’re gone?” Steve asked 

“So there’s Pietro, the fast one then there’s Barrett he essentially has super strength and durability, Jasper who…. Well yeah you get him and Nara who has heightened senses and reactions as well as abnormal strength.”

“Okay so definitely a threat considering they think we’re evil” Tony pointed out

Alina nodded. 

“It’ll be instant attack mode. Their survivability depends on it” 

“Hm. I’ll start formulating plans then” Tony nodded 

“Excuse me who’s been taking notes” Natasha said 

“Fine. WE’LL start making plans then!” Stark rolled his eyes 

“So we’re really gonna do this?” Loki asked 

“Yes. Yes we are”


	42. 6 Point Jump

Today was the day. They wanted to get into the Quantum Realm as quickly as they could before Jasper could figure out their plans and get out again so they could find him and kill him here too. They all knew their missions and they stood in front of the generator which was now heavily protected. Those left behind were suited up in their combat gear, including Janet and Hank, on the chance that anything went wrong or Jasper turned up unexpectedly. They knew that it was a fight to the death. If they went down, and Jasper got to the machine, he could destroy it and trap the other’s in alternate dimensions forever. 

Alina, Natasha, Loki, Steve, Strange and Tony all stood with their respective gear on. On their wrists was a device which allowed them to input their travels in the quantum realm. Tony had dedicated nanotechnology to them, morphing it into their combat wear so that they could traverse the quantum realm unharmed. In the end, they had decided to stay together as a group rather than splitting up to each location. Given the high risk and high likelihood of being viewed as hostiles, they decided it was better together; especially if that meant having Alina and her knowledge with them at all times. 

“Alright. You know your missions. For us it will only be one minute but for you, it will take as long as you need. Stay calm, stay sharp and stay together” Janet said calmly.

They all nodded, the whirring of the generator becoming deafening as it geared up to full power. Alina felt a tingle of fear down her spine and Loki glanced to her. 

“This time, we’re in this together” he smiled 

She nodded to him and then looked at the team around her, squaring her shoulders and preparing a brave face.

“If you are uncertain of anything going on, any action you need to take, or any person we encounter you ask me first.” 

They all nodded earnestly. 

“We kill Jasper quickly, efficiently and we get out of there. Do not let him beg. Do not let him inside your head. Tony’s equipped scramblers which will mess with our neuro signals enough to prevent him for a short amount of time but it is of the essence. There is no remorse for him. If he begs, it is fake. If you feel you cannot carry through with it, then pass it to Natasha, Loki or myself” 

Natasha and Loki both nodded and exchanged a glance. They were prepared to do whatever they needed to to get rid of this guy. 

“Whatever it takes” Tony nodded 

“Whatever it takes” they all replied 

There was a flash. They all disappeared. 

The Quantum Realm was different this time for Alina. She was less exposed to the elements and with her ability to see the others around her and direct their journey, it was far more comforting. The others looked around in wonderment at the fluid world they were floating in before their wrist transmitters beeped and they were sucked down a tunnel to realm number one. 

They appeared in a long glass corridor. Sirens could be heard going off and people in the corridor ahead of them could be seen running in the direction of a smoking room which despite the now shattered glass walls was black and white with smoke. There ahead of them was Steve dragging a coughing tony out followed by a coughing bruce. 

“The girl! Fuck!” Tony coughed 

Steve ran back into the smoke, followed by a red creature who the team recognised from Alina’s description as Vision. 

Steve came out again, shaking his head and Vision appeared shortly after him. Both of them looked upset and confused. 

“We cant find her” Steve’s voice echoed

“She was closest to the explosion” Bruce coughed out, rolling onto his side

“Is it possible the tesseract sucked her in?” Steve asked 

“Unlikely. I sense no gamma radiation or thermonuclear radiation that could indicate so” Vision answered

The team watched on, slowly moving down the hallway toward the group. Alina suddenly got a brilliant idea. 

“Strange portal me into the room” she hissed 

They all looked at her in confusion. 

“Trust me. But watch on in the case of anything going wrong” 

Strange glanced to the group who all nodded and shrugged. He carefully opened a portal against the wall and Alina jumped through it, changing her outfit to what she had been wearing that day - mandated shield suit blending into the smoke. 

The group watched on. Moments later they heard coughing and a faint cry for help which clearly belonged to Alina. They watched as Steve met eyes with Tony and sprinted back into the smoke, emerging moments later with Alina in his arms and laying her down next to Tony. 

“Im sorry kid im sorry” he coughed over and over as she rolled over and propped herself up. SHIELD crews swarmed the area and it wasn’t long before one particular SHIELD agent offered to take Alina to the med bay. 

“Not to worry sir. She will be in safe hands” a familiar voice sounded as he threw an arm around her waist.    
  
Steve nodded to the Agent gratefully as he moved back to look after Tony who was now being attended to my medvac teams. As the SHIELD agent turned towards their corridor, the group caught a sight of the eyes under the thick helmet. It was Jasper alright. She hobbled down the hallway with him towards them, fake coughing and spluttering. Dust and smoke clung to her as she wobbled. 

As he rounded the corner with Alina, Natasha stepped out of their hiding place. 

“I’ll take her from here Agent” she said, playing her part

“Oh no need I’ve been given orders by Captain Rogers. Stark and Banner still need help if you -”    
  
“Im sure they can handle that” Natasha smiled, moving towards Alina who kept up her fake act. Fear ran down her spine as she felt Jasper’s arm tighten around her but despite this, she forced herself to lean into him as she pretended to be weak and disoriented. 

“I really think the Captain could use -” Jasper was cut off, his eyes widened in shock. 

He looked down to see a knife pressed through the weak spot in the SHIELD armour and up into his ribcage. His shock began to mix with confusion. It was short lived as Alina put another knife through the back of his neck, severing his spine just like Strange had shown her. He dropped to the ground, blood pooling out of his mouth. 

“Well ladies… im terrified” Stark joked 

“Get rid of the body we dont want to leave evidence where possible” Natasha nodded to Strange who immediately dropped Jaspers lifeless body through a portal. 

“1 down, 5 to go. Stay sharp” Steve nodded 

“Everyone’s coordinates synced up?” Stark asked 

He was met by resounding nods just as the alternate team began making their way around the corner. They caught just a flash of them before disappearing. 

This time, they traversed a flashing purple part of the Quantum Realm. Flashing fractals rebounded off of their vision, making it impossible to know which way was up and which way was down. A loud crack signified their arrival in reality number 2.

“Woah” Natasha said

They were stood on the mountain top Alina had left. It was just as serene and beautiful in the afternoon sunlight. They could see all the way out to the frosted tipped mountains in the distance and beyond that, blue skies even further. Around them was rugged terrain laced with mountain daisies and other sturdy plants and shrubs which made for pleasing greenery against the grey and brown of the rocks and dirt. 

“Ah. I see you have come for Alina” the ancient one’s voice rang out

Strange span around, his mouth dropping open a little. He had expected to see her there but even so, was not prepared for the reality of it. 

“We’re here to -” Steve began 

“No need to explain. I know of your journey” 

“I am doctor stephen -”   
  
“Strange. Yes I know. Although in this reality you’re about 4 years too early” she smiled. There was the crunching of rocks beneath someone's feet and she graciously stepped to the side to reveal Jasper coming up behind her. He stared at them in confusion, his eyes finally resting on Alina. 

“It appears I am not too late after all” he smirked nonchalantly. He glanced to the Ancient One with something near compared to apathy before he moved forward. She raised her eyebrows in response, her mouth slightly open as she evaluated his confident nature. 

It was soon cut short. The Loki that stood beside Alina was merely an illusion. The real Loki had appeared behind him and in one swift movement plunged a dagger through his throat. He took great joy in watching the life drain out of the man who had mad Alina’s life a living hell. Blood sprayed outwards and began to pour from Jaspers mouth as he reached out at Loki desperately. In a slicing motion, Loki ripped the knife upwards and opened up his throat further before removing the knife and allowing the body to drop to the dirt at his feet. 

“Number two is on me” he said, wiping the blood from his face in disgust. He then slowly bent down and wiped his dagger clean on Jaspers shirt before disappearing the knife into thin air. As he stood back up, the Ancient One had Jasper’s body disappear.

“It’s a horrible stain on such a beautiful day” she said simply, before turning and making her way down the mountain side. Her yellow robes trailed behind her and soon were the only thing recognisable as she ventured further and further away from them, a mere dot of sunshine amongst the green and brown. 

The team looked out across the valley which was half in shadow now as the sun made it’s journey across the sky. Alina sighed, appreciating the beauty of it before having to face their reality again. She turned to Loki and wiped the remaining blood off his face before summoning the rest of the team. 

“I wouldn’t mind living somewhere like this” Nat commented appreciatively 

“You and I both”    
  
“Think Clint would get upset if we one upped his farm?” Nat laughed 

“Oh he most definitely would” Alina laughed back before they disappeared once again, leaving the sun to set on another reality rid of Jasper and rid of Alina. 

They were beginning to get used to the Quantum Realm now. The off putting feeling of neither up nor down was less of a fearful feeling and more of a weightlessness. Like being in a bright multi colored vacuum of space. 

Unfortunately this time, they appeared in the middle of the tower’s living room. 

“What the hell” Stark’s voice sounded out

“Okay dont freak out”

Their alternate selves were now on their feet, weapons drawn as they backed away. 

“Loki?” Thor’s voice sounded softly

“Hello, Brother” Loki replied equally as softly, remembering he was indeed dead in this universe

“Alina!?” Alternate Steve remarked loudly

“Long story. We’re from an alternate reality. Well Im the me that just disappeared but it’s a long story” 

“Woah” Ned said

“How do we know that’s true?” Clint asked

Alina glanced around, her eyes landing on Peter. An idea sprang to mind. With a wave of her hand, she had Peter’s notebook appear and opened it, showing him is own signature and webbing.    
  
“Woah!” Peter echoed Ned

“Is that real kid?” Sam asked 

Peter nodded. 

“What’s your superhero name?” he asked, approaching Alina

“Rogue” she replied without missing a beat

“It is her!” Ned and Peter both attached themselves to her waist much to the disbelief of Loki, Strange, Nat, Steve and Tony who had no clue what was going on, who the filipino kid was or why their alternate selves barely reacted to this.

With Peter and Ned by her side, Alina turned to her alternate avengers and took a deep breath. 

“Look, this is going to sound crazy but we need your help” she began to explain Jasper and his threat as quick as she could, knowing he could turn up any second

“So you’re telling me that this ‘Jasper’ could totally rip apart space time fabric and destroy our reality” Bruce asked 

“Yes”

“Is that him?” Tony asked as a man emerged from the elevator

“I - yes. Peter get back” Alina motioned him behind her and into the alternate Avengers.

“Well, did someone forget to send the invites out?” Jasper smiled a shit eating grin as he waltzed into the tower

There was two loud bangs. Jasper dropped to the floor. 

“I dont see how this is a party” Natasha’s voice echoed.

The group turned around to see alternate Nat with her gun out, pushing her red locks back from her face as she pursed her lips. 

“Um” both Tony’s mirrored one another

“What?! You said he was a threat. Threat’s gone” 

“Well….. Um…” Alina began

“That was easier” Strange commented

“We’re halfway there” Tony nodded

“You’re welcome” alternate nat sassed

“Thanks” Natasha replied to herself, rather curiously. 

“Coordinates set?” Tony asked, they all nodded.

Alina knew which reality they were entering next. This was the reality that she lost Loki. She took a deep breath, still unprepared for what was to come. Was she ready to see Loki lifeless again? Absolutely not. Both Strange and Loki glanced to her in this moment. She dropped her shoulders.

“Let’s just do this” she muttered, hitting her wrist device and being sucked back into the dizzying vortex.

The moment they appeared in the fourth dimension, there was yelling and they were forced to defend themselves. They were on the lawn of SHIELD HQ, moments after Thanos had lost to Alina and the Avengers. They had expected hostility but to be attacked straight away was a shock to the system especially when it was themselves attacking them. 

“UNHAND LADY EVERTON” Thor yelled over the commotion as Steve and Tony took on their alternate selves and Strange and Loki did their best to deal with Strange, Vision and Wanda who were hurling attacks at them. 

“Thor! They’re friendly listen!” Alina yelled back 

“Loki?” Thor asked softly as he saw his brother defending himself against Wanda. 

“What happened to your hair!?” Loki mouthed, his voice barely sounding over the crashing noises of the fight

“A crazy man cut it off on Sakaar!” 

“What” Loki deadpanned, blocking Wanda once again

Thor grinned and raised stormbreaker, electrifying the field. 

“ENOUGH!” his voice boomed as a pulse went out that sent everyone flying backwards from one another. 

Slowly, they rubbed their heads as they raised themselves from the dust, dirt and rubble. 

“Coulda asked nicely” alternate tony muttered

“Hey is that nano tech” Tony asked himself, pointing to the Iron Man armour

“See what I mean?” Alina asked as Loki pulled her up out of the dirt

“Hold on. We just watched you die!” Clint growled 

“Alternate realities” Vision muttered 

“Bingo!” Alina’s Tony said 

“How in the hell?!” Steve growled, surveying himself 

“Do we not have razors in this reality?” Steve asked himself earning a smile. They both smirked back at one another boyishly.

“I think I like that Steve better” Bucky grinned, appearing by alternate Steve’s side

“Ok what’s going on”

Bang. 

Alina caught the sound of the bullet ripping through the air milliseconds after it fired. Without looking for an assailant she dove forward immediately creating a shield to block it. Glancing back, she saw the target was Strange, but not here one. Her shield hummed as she looked for an attacker, cautiously raising more shields around her companions, making sure to protect them from all sides. 

Out of the forest, stepped Jasper. He fired two more times before rolling his eyes and stopping, lowering his gun. 

“Who’s that?” Bucky asked 

“His name is Jasper. He’s what we’re here for” Alina murmured just loud enough for the others to hear

“Here for?” Alt Nat asked as Jasper approached 

“We need to kill him. He’s…. Thanos level not good. He can control your actions and thoughts” 

“Okay well that’s -” she was cut off as Wanda hurled herself at Alina who barely had time to dodge her attack, diving onto the grass and blocking her red glow. 

“WANDA!?” Steve yelled 

“He’s controlling her! We have - We have to kill him!” Alina yelled as she held off Wanda who was bearing down on top of her. 

The weight was suddenly released as Vision tackled her off and began to duel with her, fluidly dodging her attacks in the air. Alina stood up, and in a moment of seconds sprinted after Jasper who was entering the forest again twirling his gun around one finger.

“ALINA” Loki yelled desperately after her but he was too busy fending off alternate Strange’s attacks to chase after her. Moments later, he lost sight of her completely as she disappeared into the forest. 

She kept running, desperately pushing past low hanging vines, branches and shrubbery. She couldn’t let him get away. This was their only chance to get this right. Thinking over her options she felt a solid whack to the back of her head and fell to her face first onto the dirt of the forest floor, only barely cushioned by the surrounding sparse grass.    
  
Groaning, she rolled over. Jasper stood over her an almost tender smile on his face. 

“Hello Alina, I’m Jasper” 

She groaned, throwing her head back as it pounded from the impact. She realised he must think she is still of this reality and that she was yet to meet him. Playing on this, she rolled onto her side and looked up at him.    
  
“Who are you? How do you know my name?” 

He looked shocked. Or at least, he pretended to be as he crouched down and brushed her hair back gently. 

“Do you really not remember?” he murmured, an almost sad look on his face

“No…?” Alina lied “You were just trying to kill me”   
  


“Kill you!? No! I was trying to protect you. Those people were going to hurt you” 

“What?” Alina faked confusion 

“I cant believe you dont remember. Hey.. Im here to help you here let me get you up” 

She grabbed onto his arm and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“We’ve gotta get out of here okay?’ he murmured in his ear

She turned to him, looking up as innocently as she could while looking into the eyes of the man who had destroyed her life. 

“Yes, I believe we do”

His eyebrows furrowed at her tone. They then furrowed further as she put one of Loki’s daggers into his ribs. He looked surprised, confusion lacing his eyes as a trickle of blood came down his mouth and dripped off of his chin. 

Loki came scrambling through the bushes to see Alina and Jasper in a sort of embrace. He looked on in horror before seeing the dagger in Alina’s hand. Or, the hilt of it rather as the rest was embedded in the man’s chest. She glanced to him briefly before pushing it deeper and twisting it, a horrible gurgle emitting from his mouth. One swift movement later and she had yanked it out and promptly set his body alight.

The others came hacking through the forest behind Loki to see Jasper’s lit body crackling away. 

“Huh, setting up camp for the night are we?” Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.

Strange rolled his eyes and dropped the flaming body through a portal, leaving only a charred mark and burnt grass. 

“Alright time to skeddadle before the others catch up with us” Tony continued on

“Are they okay?” Alina asked sharply

“No casualties although that wanda girl packs a hit” Steve replied

“Everyone synced up?” Natasha asked

“Yep” resounded through the forest

“Two to go”

With a flash they were gone, nothing but a breeze blowing from where they left. Thor shortly entered the spot where they once stood. 

“Lady Alina?”    
  
But there was no response. There never would be one. 

The team appeared on the roof of Stark Tower. There were sirens sounding all around them and above them, a swirling wormhole was slowly coming to a close, dust floating down out of it from the destroyed army. Above them, Stark, Thor, Loki and Selvig stood, staring at a bright blue light which sat upon the contraption that was the generator for the wormhole.

“Should we just like… make our presence known or?” Steve began. 

He didn’t get much further as the group above them caught their eye and immediately turned, gawking at them. 

“Loki, get rid of your illusions” Thor could be heard saying to the Loki looking down at them with raised eyebrows and a curious look. This could incite chaos.

“This isn’t me” he hummed lightly 

Alina raised both her hands and Tony stared down at her in confusion. 

“Is that the girl that just disappeared?” he asked Thor

“So it appears. Let us proceed with caution” he advised as they made their way down towards the group of newcomers. 

“They’re coming to us” Natasha commented as they fortified their stance

“I dont think they’re seeing us as threats” Steve commented as he watched the group warily 

“Regardless, stay on guard. I dont know how this is going to go” Alina muttered, gesturing slightly to them.

She stood at the front of the group as the other four approached, Thor keeping Loki in front of him at all times. They came to a halting stop and Loki clacked both his feet together as he stared down at Alina before glancing to himself. 

Loki looked at the hungry glare his 2012 self was giving Alina and softly cursed himself. He’d forgotten how tired and messy he had looked back then and this version of himself seemed more deranged, more power hungry, more manipulative and more chaotic. He immediately moved a little closer to Alina. 

“Girl… Agent.. Whoever you are what the fuck is going on?” 

“We just watched you disappear” Thor conveyed rather roughly 

“Look it’s a long story. It’s been… months for me since i touched the space stone okay” 

“She knows what happened” Erik pointed out, still rubbing his head

“Sorry” Alina nodded, loosely gesturing to the bruise forming. 

He simply shrugged in response. 

“Hello pet” Loki took a step closer, now towering over her as he examined her. She looked older to him and he could sense her magic coming off stronger in waves.

“Thor, get Christmas tree decoration under control here would you?” Tony asked and Thor grabbed his brother by the arm. Loki roughly yanked his arm back and stared down at Alina. 

“You’re full of surprises” he hummed, lifting her chin up with one hand. Strange looked like he was barely restraining himself from tackling the alternate Loki and beating the magic straight out of him. Loki noticed this and smirked at him. 

“Who is this? Your ward?” he said slyly causing Strange to repress a snarl 

“No and we dont have time for this” Alina replied, batting alternate Loki’s hand away from her face much to his curiously offended surprise. 

“What’s going on? Does my hair really look like that?” Tony asked, staring at himself. 

“There’s someone else coming. Someone as bad as that army and we dont have long” 

“What do you mean?” Thor asked 

“He could tear apart the very fabric of space and time and rip this reality to shreds. We’re here to kill him” Alina gestured to her group standing around her

“Riiighht so what we just let you do your business?” Tony asked

“Yes and yes, your hair always does look like that”    
  
“Wow okay” 

“And what of my brother?” Thor asked, nodding to Loki who stood slightly behind Alina 

“He’s no threat. He is not the same as the Loki within this reality” Alina responded

“And we’re just supposed to trust that? Because this Loki just tried to take over the planet so forgive the distrust but that does not -” Tony was cut off as he noticed movement

Jasper was stood on the platform where he typically disengaged from his iron man armour. He raised an eyebrow at them before wandering inside. 

“Son of a bitch” Alina’s tony muttered grumpily 

“Look can we put the Loki thing aside for a moment to deal with him?” Alina hissed, gesturing at them to follow her as she jumped lightly down to the platform below. 

The others gave a plethora of shrugs and eyerolls before following. Both Tony’s continued to eye one another up with a mixture of appreciativeness and suspicion as they followed through the glass that Loki had shattered. Seeing the destruction Loki had caused, Thor quickly placed handcuffs on him earning a roll of the eyes. 

“Hello pet” Jasper smirked at Alina from behind the bar. Strangely enough, alternate Loki felt a surge of possessiveness, leering at the blonde man who had just coined his nickname for the girl for his own. 

Jasper barely spared him a glance.

“Hello?” Alina said, feigning innocence once again

“Im going to need you to come with me now” 

“That will not be happening” the alternative loki hissed 

“No?” Jasper smiled “not to worry, i have time” 

Alina looked at him questioningly. She did not have to wait long to confirm what he meant however as her own Loki took a lunge at her. 

“Loki!?” she asked, panicked

“He must’ve gotten through the neuro scramblers i set up!” Tony said with panicked hushness. 

Loki sent Alina skidding across the ground into the wall. As Tony and Steve moved to help her they were sent flying back by the alternate Tony, leaving Natasha and Strange to attempt to subdue Thor. 

Meanwhile, Alina pulled herself up off the ground shaking off the glass she had landed in. Loki was advancing towards her quickly and in a swift motion, he took her by the neck and dangled her above the ground as she writhed. 

“Im not going to hurt you” she choked out, kicking wildly as she attempted to loosen his grip. Alternate Loki watched on, his hands still bound together as Alina dangled precariously. He could see where this was going. The girl was about to die, one way or another. While he didn’t feel overly caring about saving her or not, he did feel direct distaste for the man clearly controlling his oaf of a brother and his alternate self. In a flash he disappeared, something that nobody else noticed due to their preoccupation. In another flash, he reappeared behind Jasper spreading his illusions out around him. While he could not use his hands due to them being bound, his illusions most certainly could. 

Alina choked. She could feel her vision going dark and her limbs starting to buzz from the lack of oxygen. No longer could she hear the crashing of the others fighting around her as her hearing began to dull and her body began to prepare for shutdown. 

Like sunlight through the clouds on a rainy day, air rushed into her lungs. It took her a moment to realise she had hit the floor, glass embedding itself in her on impact. As she coughed and groaned, she heard a confused gasp and looked up to see Loki looking down at her. He immediately moved to crouch down but she raised a hand instinctively to stop him. 

He realised what he’d done. 

“Alina im sorry I dont know -” 

“It’s fine” she coughed as he began to help her to her feet 

“You’re welcome” a very sarcastic voice sounded 

In the kitchen, Loki stood behind Jasper’s bloodied body which was draped face forward over the bar. The other’s trapsed back inside from their fight, rubbing their heads and sharing disgruntled looks in their confusion. Bruises and cuts now donned their bodies. 

“Oh my god I am going to have to get the whole bench replaced now. Pepper’s going to kill me” Tony groaned loudly

“Dont get her a giant stuffed animal it wont help” Alina’s Tony remarked earning a glare from the other Tony 

Alina stared between the two of them with such force of exasperation that Natasha actually began to laugh as both Tony’s looked to the ground. Swiftly, Alina marched around the otherside of the bar and checked Jasper’s pulse. His blonde locks were dipped in his own blood. She felt nothing. 

“Is he dead?” Steve asked 

Alina pulled out a golden knife and drove it into the base of his skull.    
  


“If he wasn’t before, he is now” she said grimly, twisting the knife for good measure before yanking it back out again. The golden knife dissipated into thin air and she stared glumly down at the limp body in front of her. It felt surreal to be this close to him. He had brought her constant trials, even before her death at the hands of Thanos. She wondered how entrenched his obsession was - to send Demetri after her. She shivered at the thought. All graciousness was lost on her as her mind flicked back to first Demetri’s acts and then to Jaspers. If it weren’t for him she would’ve been married now, conducting SHIELD research work and overseeing universal affair. Her guardianship over the stones would’ve been but arbitrary until another threat imploded the galaxy. Well, she guessed this was that threat but it was personal. It always seemed to be personal. 

Her thought train was broken by Loki who swung her around, now broken out of his handcuffs. He placed a knife to her neck as he slammed her against the fridge and the entire room froze. 

“I would advise you against doing that” Strange warned 

“Reindeer games drop the knife” Alt Tony bargained, his Iron Man pulse charging up on his palm. 

Alina looked largely calm through all of this. With a snap of her fingers, his knife changed to a snake in a shimmer of red causing him to drop it out of his hand. Thor had to stifle a laugh into a cough which he hid badly. Loki cocked his head at her and she sighed.

“I dont have time for this. We need to go” 

She attempted to walk past Loki but he grabbed one of her arms firmly. Alina looked up at him, eyebrows raised and unintimidated. 

“You are one of the most fascinating women I’ve ever met” 

“Yeah he thinks so too” Alina pointed to her Loki who raised his eyebrows and shrugged at his alternate self. In truth, he was still upset that Jasper had managed to control him. It felt eerily similar to the time on Knowhere where he had watched himself hold Alina in the air and stabbed her. He did not enjoy reminiscing on that. 

Alternate Loki grabbed her chin roughly and held her face still. 

“Stay here. With me” he grinned slyly 

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“No. I’ve got one of you of my own and places to be” she finally managed to respond, knocking his hand off of her and walking over to her group. 

“Are we ready for this?” Steve asked

“Finally reality. This is going to be difficult. They’re going to attack straight away. Remember, Nara has heightened sense, reflexes and strength making her an excellent combatant, Jasper is well, Jasper and Barrett he’s about as strong as the Hulk so when you engage stay on guard at all times” Alina nodded, running them through their action plan. 

“What if Jasper gets into our heads again?”

“We’ll deal with it” 

“Coordinates synced?” Tony asked 

“Lets kill the bastard” Natasha smiled 

In a flash of light, the group disappeared leaving a shocked Thor, Loki and Tony staring at the spot where they once had stood. 

Alina was right. The moment they arrived in the dingy, run down lab which had once been Hank’s there was only a moment of silence before yelling ensued.

There was clanging as Strange and Loki took on Barrett whilst the other three dealt with Nara who was reacting quickly and efficiently blocking them. Both were going for kill hits on the team. 

“It musnt of worked!” Nara yelled at Jasper 

“Alina get out of here!” Barrett yelled 

Jasper too looked shocked, realisation dawning on him as to what might have happened. He jumped the control panel, hitting all of the buttons as he went and powering up the Quantum Generator. He stopped for a moment, taking a look at the group fighting but Alina stepped in his way, distracting him from taking any control over them. 

“Enough Jasper. I know why you’re here” she said, her hands lighting up a golden hue. 

“Here? I helped you home” he said 

“Dont bullshit me Jasp” 

A sly smile crept onto his face and she felt him attempting to probe into her mind. She refuted his efforts and threw a golden ball of energy at him. He swiftly dodged it and low balled her, tackling her from her waist and sending her down with him. Ontop of her, he attempted to hold her down whilst he drew a weapon but she kicked him off of her. They began to grapple as Alina tried to keep him distracted enough to not allow him to focus on any of the others. She couldn’t get a hit in though. Any time she came close, either Barrett or Nara would intervene just long enough for her to lose track of Jasper and have to chase after him. He appeared to be making his way to the entrance of the Quantum Tunnel. 

“What the HELL ARE YOU DOING?” Nara screamed at Alina

“Jasper isnt who he says he is! Do you even remember anything about him further than a month or so back!?” She screamed in retaliation 

Nara seemed to stop at this as she thought, realisation dawning on her angular features. 

“He’s trying to use my abilities to tear this reality and others apart! HE is the one who tests on and creates mutants!” Alina continued 

Nara glanced to Jasper who was hand to hand with Alina. He gave her a smile boardering on a knowing smirk and Nara’s mouth dropped open in horror. 

“You LIED to us!” She yelled at Jasper who shrugged as he managed to connect his foot into Alina’s chest and send her stumbling backwards. Alina latched back onto him and they tumbled too close to the generator, throwing punches and attempting to throw one or the other off.  As Alina stood back up, her back to the generator Jasper lunged for her. She stepped back, losing her footing as he connected with her.

“NO!” she heard Tony yell

Jasper had knocked her backwards with him, into the Quantum Realm.    
  
There was a flash and a bang which sent colour fractals stretching out of her vision. The strange weightlessness feeling came back, her arms buzzing as she pulled herself to her feet. A few metres from her, Jasper stood up too looking her up and down smugly. 

“Hello Ali. How nice of you to join me” 

“You didnt give me much choice”

“Hm perhaps not but a plan is a plan” he smirked, pacing towards her until there were mere metres between them.

“You wanted me in the Quantum Realm” she replied

“Indeed. It’s easier this way” 

//

Above, the team resurfaced back into the tower. 

The others immediately came out from behind the barrier to check them over. 

“Where’s Alina?” Peter asked 

Loki sank to his knees. They’d lost her into the Quantum Realm again. Something so preventable. So easy to stop and they’d screwed it up. Not only that but she was in there with Jasper who could’ve killed her or taken control of her for his plan by now. Everyone else read the room the same way. 

“What do we do?” Thor asked 

“Well that leaves this realities Jasper” Banner said 

“And the last realities Jasper. He disappeared into the generator with her” Tony croaked. He couldn’t believe in their final moments, when they were so close to success, it had all ended for them. They now had to deal with the potential of Alina being corrupted by Jasper. Their very reality fading from existence, an army of unstoppable, powerful mutants. 

“If we kill this realities one that only leaves the final one…” Bucky tried

“Even so… it is that version of him that’s the problem. He has Alina” Strange snapped, his jaw clenched. 

“Can we get her back? Track her?” Peter asked 

“We couldn’t even do that when we lost her the first time” Loki’s voice broke as he sank to the ground. The fleeting moment of hope he had gained prior to this mission had disappeared leaving nothing but a void that no doubt he would never fill in his lifetime. Maybe this was exactly why Alina put off the wedding so much for this work. Maybe, she knew, before anyone else that this is what it would come to in some way or another. Maybe, she was hoping he would move on so as not to get hurt by her inevitable death. He didn’t care anymore. Somewhere, somehow Alina was out there. Somehow, he had failed her once again, broken the one promise he had made to her upon her re-entry into the world. 

“You know, it’s usually not you who’s on their knees” a voice echoed, their humorous dry tone resounding off the walls.    
  
Loki looked behind him, lifting himself onto one knee for support. 

It was Alina. 

“Oh thank god” Natasha said breathlessly as she approached her. She soon stopped dead. Alina raised her hand which had been behind her back. In her grasp were two things. One was dragonfang which she was clutching by the hilt loosely. The other was Jasper’s head which she held from his now messy ponytail. His eyes were still open and blood still dripped onto the floor from the severed arteries and vessels.

"Whatever it takes" she said plainly. 

She threw the head onto the floor and set it alight with the wave of her hand. 

“How…” Tony asked 

“Much like Mjolnir, Dragonfangs worthiness is not determined by purity in regards to not killing. It is determined by the purity of the decision to kill. In this case, killing someone who poses a threat to interdimensional reality is a good reason” 

“You beheaded him” Sam sputtered 

“Swords sharp” Alina commented, throwing Dragonfang in the air and having it disappear

“How did you manage that?” Thor asked 

“There are sentient beings in the quantum realm who do not appreciate Jasper it appears” she commented, glancing at Janet. Janet knew the strange worm like creatures she spoke of. 

Alina didnt get much further into her explanation as Loki threw himself at her, wrapping her into a hug. 

“Im sorry. I failed you. Im sorry” he murmured 

“Failed me? You could never fail me” she said back softly 

Loki kissed her head and savoured the feeling of her in his arms. Too many times had he nearly lost her now. 

“So what now?” Rhodey asked 

“Now? Now we kill the bastard. Properly this time” 


End file.
